Vacation in Kurain
by Yanmegaman
Summary: The employees of the Wright Anything Agency have been hard at work, cleaning up the aftermath of the Dark Age of the Law. So Phoenix thinks it's time for them to take a much needed vacation to Kurain Village! Hijinks ensue.
1. Chapter 1: The Lake

**Author's note: Well, what is their to say? This is my first story. I hope you guys enjoy this first chapter, and give me a little feedback. Oh, and after reading through this, I realize that Athena and Pearl met during the DLC case, but I was too lazy to go back and fix it.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Ace Attorney or Capcom. If I did, America would already have Dai Gyakuten Saiban and Megaman wouldn't be six feet under.  
**  
June 6  
12:13 PM  
Kurain Village Train Station

"Mr. Nick!" cried a now teenaged Pearl Fey as she rushed towards her friend and father figure once he stepped off the train. She wrapped her arms around the defense attorney and nearly knocked the air out of his lungs.

"Haha. It's good to see you too, Pearls." Said Phoenix, returning the embrace as his employees, Athena Cykes and Apollo Justice, and daughter, Trucy Wright, stepped off the train.

It had been nearly 6 months since the UR-1 retrial, and the Phantom's arrest. Those at the Wright Anything Agency had been hard at work, defending anyone who came to them, falsely accused. Phoenix himself had even stood in a few retrials of people convicted during the Dark Age of the Law. Having seen the immense effort put forth by his hardworking employees, Phoenix suggested they all take a weeklong vacation in Kurain Village, home of the Fey family.

"Hey, Pearl! How ya been?" asked Apollo, grinning at the young Spirit Medium.

"Oh, Mr. Polly! I've been great! And it's great to see you too!"

Apollo slightly grimaced at Pearl's nickname for him. The first time they met, she overheard Trucy call him Polly, and the rest is ancient history.  
"Hey, I'm here too, Pearls!" Trucy exclaimed, embracing the young girl.

"Miss Trucy! It's great to see you. All of you!" She said as she returned the hug.

"Pearls," Started Phoenix. "I don't believe you two have been acquainted." He said as he led Pearl over to Athena. "Pearls, this is Athena Cykes. Athena, Pearl Fey."

"Oh, Miss Cykes. Mr. Nick told me about you when I visited a few months ago." The young Spirit Medium bowed. "It's nice to finally meet you. And I'm happy to hear about your acquittal."

Athena shined her usual glowing grin. "Oh, don't gimme that formal crap!" she exclaimed as she hugged Pearl, who was taken back by the redhead's forwardness. "Just Athena is fine. Or Thena, if you like. It's what my best friend calls me."

Pearl stepped back and regained her composure, before clapping her hands together and smiling. "Ok, it's good to finally meet you, Miss Thena!"

Athena grimaced at the girl's new nickname for her, but quickly regained her composure and flashed a peace sign. "And it's great to finally meet the girl who helped the boss clear my name!"

Everyone chatted for a minute before Phoenix finally chimed in. "Say, Pearls," he said, placing his hand on the girls shoulder. "Where's Maya? I thought she would be meeting us here at the station."

As if on cue, a familiar voice chimed in from afar. "I'm right over here, Nick!" The spiky-haired attorney turned in the direction of the voice, and was not surprised to see his best friend, and secret love of his life, Maya Fey.

The two rushed towards each other and finally met and embraced. "Maya! It's so good to see you! I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Nick!" Maya said, as she nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

The two stood there, hugging for what seemed like hours, as the others looked on with smiles on their faces, while Pearl gushed. Finally, Phoenix and Maya realized they were being watched and quickly broke apart, blush staining their cheeks. Phoenix cleared his throat and smiled at Maya. Maya returned the smile, as Phoenix admired her. Over the last few years, Maya had grown, but only ever so slightly. Her hair was still in its trademark topknot, and she also still wore her acolyte robes, much to Phoenix's surprise, although they were a bit longer to cover her body better. Speaking of her body, Maya had grown a few inches, although she still barely came up to Phoenix's shoulders and her *ahem* bust had filled out, though it still didn't measure up to her older sister's. Around her neck, she wore the Master's Talisman, signifying her role as the Master of the Kurain channeling technique.

"Sorry, I'm a little late, Nick." Maya chimed in, snapping Phoenix back to reality. "I had to finalize a few things with the elders so I could take the week off to be with you guys." She explained.

"Oh, well that makes sense. Figures they wouldn't make it easy for you. By the way, why are wearing your acolyte robes instead of your Master robes?" Phoenix asked.

"Well, duh! Because I'm on vacation!" She exclaimed as if that explained everything.

The others joined the two then. "Oh, Maya, I almost forgot." Said Phoenix as he pulled Athena forward. "This is Athena Cykes. The newest member of the Wright Anything Agency!"

Athena extended a hand. "It's nice to finally meet you, Miss Fey. Mr. Wright's told me all about you."

Maya puffed out her cheeks and exclaimed "Oh, cut the formal crap!" And wrapped Athena in a hug. _Talk about Déjà vu_ thought Apollo.

"Anyway!" Maya exclaimed, releasing Athena. "I'm so happy you could all make it here! I wish I could welcome you all to the village, but that's still a little ways away… Up a hill."

Athena, Apollo, and Trucy all groaned, as Phoenix smiled. The two lawyers had never been to Kurain, while Trucy had only visited a few times around Christmas, and was still not used to the climb. The group all went to collect their luggage when Maya stopped them all.

"What do you think you're doing?" she exclaimed frightening the lawyers and magician.

"Uh, we're getting our luggage. Something the matter?" Asked Apollo.

"Of course something's the matter! You two!" She shouted, pointing at Apollo and Athena "You're on vacation! That means there's no way I'm letting you carry your luggage up a hill. That's what Nick's here for!"

"M-me!?" Phoenix exclaimed, taken aback.

"Yes, you! You're the one who arranged this vacation in the first place!" Explained Maya, as she took the luggage from Apollo, Athena, and Trucy and handed it all to Phoenix.

"H-hey! I'm supposed to be on vacation too, y'know!" complained Phoenix.

"Well…" contemplated Maya "You should have thought of that before you came here! You know I'm gonna put you to work!" she said, as she began running up the hill. "C'mon, slowpokes! Last one to the village buys a round of burgers when I come visit!"

At that, Phoenix could have sworn he felt his wallet physically weep as he began running up the hill, chasing after his friends and daughter

* * *

10 minutes later, the group arrived in Kurain Village. The place hadn't changed much since the last time Phoenix and Trucy visited. Athena and Apollo admired the quaint beauty of the small village, while Trucy and Pearl spoke to each other, as Trucy showed off some of her simpler tricks. "Gotta admit," started Phoenix, speaking to Maya. "This place almost gets more beautiful each time I come here."

Maya giggled. "Well, I suppose that's ONE good thing about living here. It IS beautiful. If it had a burger joint, then it'd be perfect."

Phoenix chuckled and shook his head. _Still thinking with her stomachs, I see._ The group made their way to Fey Manor and stepped inside. "Miss Trucy," Chimed Pearl. "You're staying in my room. Follow me and we'll get you settled in."

Trucy took her luggage and ran after Pearl.

"Ok, you two." Maya pointed, indicating Apollo and Athena. "I hope you don't mind, but you'll be sharing a room. I'm really sorry if that bothers you."

Apollo attempted to keep a straight face as he stuttered out "B-bother us? O-o-of course not. Right Athena?" he turned to Athena, who was fiddling with her earring, thinking.

"You don't need to be so nervous, Apollo. She said same room, not same bed." She then broke out into a grin. "Get your head out of the gutter, mi amigo!"

Apollo, slumped over, sweating. "R-right."

Maya led them through the manor and showed them their room.

"Meet us back in the main room in ten minutes. We'll discuss what to do for the day!" Maya instructed the two before sliding the screen closed.

She looked at Phoenix, who smiled at her. It had been way too long since the two had been alone.

"Alright Nick, come with me, I'll show you where you're staying."

Phoenix obeyed and followed shortly behind the Spirit Medium.

"So, how have you been, Maya?" He asked.

The two hadn't really spoken much since they arrived at the village.

"Oh, I've been good, but my duties as the Master have been keeping me really busy. I'm down to only being able to cram two Steel Samurai marathons into a week!"

Phoenix chuckled. _All these years, and she hasn't changed a bit._

"Oh no, you poor thing, you!" He said sarcastically.

Maya turned around and stuck her tongue out, continuing to walk backwards, as she did, she caught her foot on a rug and began to lose her balance. "W-whoaaaa, Nick!"

"Ah, Maya!" Maya's hand shot forward and Phoenix grabbed hold of it to catch her, but he ended up being pulled down with her.

"Oof!" Cried out Maya.

Phoenix bumped his head off the floor, and closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead.

"Ow. Ugh, Maya, are you o-" Phoenix cut himself off when he opened his eyes. He found himself looking down at Maya, having landed on top of her.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, Nick." Phoenix stood up very quickly, flustered at their closeness. _Here I was hoping to talk to her about my feelings, and I'm acting like I can't stand to be close to her at all._

Phoenix cleared his throat and offered her a hand. Maya hesitated for a second, then took it. He pulled her up to her feet and stood there looking at her, not realizing he was still holding her hand. Neither said anything to each other. Nearly a minute passed before Phoenix quickly pulled his hand away and rubbed the back of his neck, laughing nervously. "Uh, hehe, sorry about that. Glad I didn't crush you."

"Oh, uh, yeah. Hehe, me too." An awkward silence cut between the two before Maya finally spoke up. "Oh! Uh, here it is. This is your room, Nick."

She flung open the door near them and let Phoenix in, who looked around the room, which was very spacious. "Huh, don't think this is the room I usually stay in. Isn't that the one Apollo and Athena are in?" Asked Phoenix.

"Yup. That's a two person room, so I thought it would be better to give it to them. Also…" Maya blushed. "I thought maybe you might want the room closest to mine."

It was Phoenix's turn to blush. "Oh, uh, that's right. Your room is right next door isn't it?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's been awhile, so I thought it would be nice for us to be near each other."

 _What is going through this girl's mind right now? Well, whatever it is, I can't say I mind being neighbors with her._

"Ok, well, I'll let you get settled in and go check on Pearl and Trucy!" Maya exclaimed as she left the room, before stopping in the doorway. "H-hey, Nick?"

"Hm? What is it Maya?"

Maya paused for a second and thought before saying "I'm really glad you came to see me." She smiled and walked off.

Phoenix stood in his room, dumbfounded before smiling to himself and unpacking. _This is going to be an interesting week.  
_

* * *

Ten minutes later, everyone met back up in the main room of the Manor.  
"Alright guys," started Maya "Let's talk business! What are we doing today?"

Phoenix, Athena, Apollo, and Trucy all looked at each other.

Apollo finally spoke. "Uh, well, what is there to do around here?"

Maya thought for a second. "Oh yeah, you guys haven't been here before. Well… I guess we could hike around the woods, go down to the lake and swim, or…"

Phoenix didn't like the way she trailed off "Or?"

Maya cut off the thought. "Nah, we'll do that another day! So, what do you guys think?"

Athena chimed in "Oh, I'd love to go swimming! I even brought my bathing suit just in case."

"Yeah!" Trucy spoke up "I haven't been swimming all year! I vote we go to the lake!"

Phoenix and Apollo both placed a vote for swimming, when suddenly a loud growling noise was heard.  
"Uh, was that a… bear?" Asked Apollo.

Phoenix Laughed "Nah, it's something even scarier." He walked over and poked Maya's gut. "I'd say that was about 3 of Maya's stomachs."

Maya giggled. "Yeah, hehe, guess I haven't had a chance to eat today."

"Well," said Athena. "I could definitely eat after that long train ride."

"Me too." Added Apollo.

Everyone else agreed to needing some food.

"Alright, food first, then swimming!" Exclaimed Maya as she led the group out the door, to a nearby noodle restaurant.

* * *

After gorging themselves on Kurain style noodles, (Which were MUCH safer to consume than Eldoon's noodles) the group returned to the manor and changed into their swimming gear before heading to the lake.

Apollo and Phoenix were garbed in plain red and blue swim trunks, respectively. Maya had opted for a dark purple two-piece, dotted with tiny black Magatamas. She had also let her hair down out of her trademark topknot and let it flow down her back. Athena wore a yellow top with baby blue bottoms, with Widget still around her neck. Apparently, the little machine was completely waterproof. In the back, Trucy and Pearl were both wearing one piece swimsuits. Trucy's was a mix of light and dark blues, with the design bearing a resemblance to her magician's outfit. Unsurprisingly, she had opted to leave her hat at the manor. Pearl's was about as pink as it gets, with white frills around the edges. She had also pulled her hair out of its complex pretzel shape, and it now hung nearly to her shoulders. Phoenix couldn't help but gawk at Maya, having never seen her in a swimsuit before. _Wow, she looks amazing. Definitely gives Mia a run for her money._

Unknowingly to him, Maya was also admiring him, surprised that he'd been hiding some muscles underneath that blue suit of his. _I guess flexing that pointer finger in court takes a little more effort than I thought. Wait, does that mean Edgeworth is ripped!?_

Apollo and Athena, mirroring their friends, were also secretly observing each other. _Ok, Apollo, stay cool. You're just going swimming with the beautiful girl who you once indicted for murder. But, MAN, does she look good._

 _Wow, Apollo looks good normally, but NO SHIRT!? I think I'm in love!  
_

"Wow! It's so pretty here!" Athena cried as they reached the lake. "C'mon, Apollo, let's jump in!"

"M-me!? Why m-" Apollo was cut off as Athena grabbed his wrist and dragged him over to the lake before diving right in with him in tow.

"ATHENAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" SPLASH!

Athena resurfaced and flipped her hair. "Ahhhhhh, the water feels amazing, doesn't it, Apollo?" She turned to face Apollo, who had just resurfaced, spitting out some water, as his horns drooped.

"Yeah. Would have been better to ease into it, though."

Athena splashed him "Oh, c'mon. Ease up a bit and have some fun, old man!"

Apollo was taken aback. "O-old man!? I'm 23!"

Phoenix, Maya, Pearl and Trucy stood back and laughed as the red and yellow clad lawyers bickered.

"Geez," started Trucy "They're like an old married couple."

Suddenly, Maya grabbed Phoenix's wrist "C'mon Nick, in we go!"

"Wait, wait, hold on a second, MAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" SPLASH!

Maya surfaced, and turned to grin at Athena, before Phoenix swam beneath her and picked her up on his shoulders. "Whooooa! Calm down, old man! Don't throw out your back!"

"Please, even if I WAS old, somehow you manage to be light as a feather on a diet of burgers and noodles!" Phoenix said as he laughed.

"Hey, c'mon Apollo, we can't let them show us up!" Athena cried, rushing towards Apollo.

"What are talking abo-OW! Watch it!" Apollo cried as Athena hoisted herself onto his shoulders.

She grabbed hold of the horns of his hair and cried out "Onward, my steed! To battle!"

"Ow! Quit pulling my hair!" Apollo shouted as he was led towards the senior lawyer/spirit medium duo.

"Nick, I think these two are challenging us." Said Maya as she grabbed Phoenix's spikes like reigns on a horse.

"Ow! Watch the spikes, Maya!" The two wandered towards their opponents as the girls took wrestling poses.

"You might wanna just quit now, Maya. I studied martial arts in Europe!" warned Athena.

"Martial arts, huh? Please, I've been studying the Steel Samurai's signature moves for years now. Have at you, villain!" Maya lunged at Athena and two began wrestling to throw each other off their partner's shoulders.

"Mr. Wright, I think we need new friends." Apollo stated before Phoenix splashed him.

"Geez, Apollo, I had no idea you were such a buzzkill." Phoenix replied.

"Early Summer Rain Jab!" Maya cried as she let her attack fly.

"Whooooooa, keep me steady, Apollo." But it was too late, and the two fell into the water, defeated.

Maya struck her best Steel Samurai pose. "Haha, another villain vanquished by Iron Maya, Warrior of Neo Olde Kurain Village!"

Phoenix high fived the girl and let her down from his shoulders. "Hey, don't forget her trusty sidekick, the Blue Phoenix!"  
"Well, of course!" Maya said, as she gave Phoenix a peck on the cheek.

Phoenix turned a deep shade of crimson and opened his mouth to speak, when Athena and Apollo resurfaced.

"Gah, see what you did, Apollo?!"

"Me!? You were the one who grabbed hold of my hair the second you started to lose your balance!"

Maya and Phoenix looked on, laughing.

"Boy," said Phoenix "Trucy's right. You two ARE like an old married couple."

The two lawyers flinched and blushed. "H-hey, it's not like that!" Stuttered Apollo.

 _Wait, why do I hear discord in Apollo's voice?_  
"Yeah! I-I mean, we're good friends and all, but that's going too far!"

 _Huh? I could have sworn my bracelet just reacted.  
_  
Just then, two voices broke everyone's thoughts "Geronimo!" "Alakazam!" SPLASH!

A few seconds later, Trucy and Pearl surfaced. "And here I thought you two weren't gonna join us." Said Phoenix, smiling at the two teenagers.

"Are you kidding, Daddy? This is the perfect chance to try out my new trick!"Exclaimed the young magician, as she produced her magic panties from thin air before reaching into them and pulling out a strait jacket. "Everyone ready for Trucy the Magnificent's latest death-defying trick!?"

Phoenix yanked the strait jacket out of her hands. "Two things. First, I've told you a hundred times, no "death-defying" tricks. Second, no magic panties in the water. I've still yet to figure out where everything goes and I'm not risking you draining the lake."

"Oh, come on, Daddy! I promise I'll only defy a little death!" Trucy argued.

Everyone else in the group smiled and laughed as the father and daughter bickered.

* * *

A few hours passed and evening began to fade into night, and the group finally decided to head back to the manor.

"Ah, that was so fun. I told you you needed to visit more during the summer, Nick." Maya said to Phoenix.

"He needs to visit more often in general, Mystic Maya. To see his special someone." Pearl gushed at the two, causing them to blush and look away from each other.

Meanwhile, Apollo and Athena were silent, lost in thought.

 _That was weird earlier. Why was their discord in Apollo's voice? I'll have to find a chance to use the Mood Matrix on him or this is going to drive me crazy.  
_  
 _I don't get it. Why would my bracelet react to Athena earlier? I'll have to get her to talk about that subject again later, see if I can perceive her habit and draw out the truth.  
_  
Before long, the group arrived back at Fey Manor and parted ways to change into their evening clothes.

* * *

Phoenix entered the large living room, clad in a white t-shirt and blue pajama bottoms, to find Maya setting popcorn and other snacks on the coffee table. She was wearing a white camisole and purple shorts, with her hair still down.

"Hey Maya." Phoenix said "What are you doing?"

Maya turned to the lawyer, and smiled. "I'm getting ready for our Steel Samurai movie marathon, of course!"

Phoenix sighed. Somehow he knew he'd get roped into a Samurai marathon. "Kinda saw that coming. Well, which ones are we watching?"

"Well, we're definitely watching the original, The Steel Samurai: Shadow of the Magistrate. Then we'll move onto Pink Steel: A Tale of Two Warriors, since we HAVE to see the first crossover between the Steel Samurai and the Pink Princess. Oh, and we're definitely going to watch…"  
Phoenix tuned her out. He didn't hate the Samurai series, his ringtone was the theme song, but he just wasn't anywhere near as enthusiastic about it as Maya was.

"Sounds like we have a pretty full evening ahead of us."

Phoenix and Maya both jumped at the new voice and turned to see Apollo, wearing a black wife beater and red pajama bottoms, entering the room. "Oh, Apollo. Didn't hear you come in." Said Phoenix.

It was then that Phoenix noticed something was off. He just couldn't place his finger on it.

"Hey, I heard someone say Steel Samur- Apollo!? Y-your hair!" Athena rushed in, wearing a yellow t-shirt and blue pajama bottoms.

That was when things clicked for Phoenix. Apollo's hair. It wasn't styled. Instead, where his horns would normally be, he had shaggy bangs nearly covering his eyes.

"Huh? What about my hair? Oh, I get it. You've never seen it without hair gel in it before." Apollo said as he ran his hand through his hair.

Trucy and Pearl walked in then, wearing blue and pink pajamas respectively, and gawked at Apollo's hair as well.

"Wait, Nick, I just realized, I've never seen you without YOUR hair styled."

Phoenix laughed. "That's probably because this is natural." He said, pointing at his spiky hair.

"No way, you're full of it!" Maya said.

"Oh, don't believe me? Check for yourself." Phoenix leaned his head down to where she could reach and she ran a hand through his hair. She almost freaked when she touched it, bringing her other hand to his head and running it through his hair as well.

"What the hell!? There's no way!"

Phoenix chuckled as he stood back up. "Maya, you lived with me at the office for a while. Do you ever remember seeing any hair gel?"

Maya stopped and thought for a second. "Holy cow, you're right!"

Everyone laughed and Maya finally told everyone to take a seat as she popped in the first movie. The living room had a large couch and two recliners. Phoenix took a seat next to Maya on the couch who sat next to Athena and Apollo plopped down beside Athena as Pearl and Trucy took the two recliners. Maya fiddled with the remote and soon, the Steel Samurai theme began to play.

* * *

"Prepare to die, Samurai!"

"Not today, Evil Magistrate! I will bring down the spear of Justice upon you and cleanse this world of your evil! HYAAAAAAAA! Late August Shower Thrust!"

Phoenix watched the screen, very uninterested, as he rubbed his side. Maya was getting really into the movie and had jabbed him in the ribs several times with her elbow. He glanced over at Apollo, who was in much the same state, as Athena imitated the moves of the combatants on screen.

"Ow!" Cried Phoenix as his ribs were met with another sharp elbow.

"Yeah, go Steel Samurai!" Yelled Maya at the top of her lungs.

 _I don't think my body can make it through another one of these movies._

* * *

"I'm sorry, but my heart belongs to another."

"Who? Who has stolen the heart of my hero!?"

"…The Pink Princess."

Phoenix didn't think the movie could get any cheesier at this point. But he wasn't complaining. Instead of a bruised rib, this time he had large wet spots on his shirt where Maya had been cuddling into him, crying. He draped his arm around her shoulders and just let her cry. Apollo was in much the same position, once again, as Athena let loose large, almost overly-dramatic, sobs into his chest. Even Trucy and Pearl were crying. _If the next movie is anything like this, this whole room will be flooded._

Apollo let out a loud yawn as the credits for the second movie rolled. "Well, as much as I'd love to sit through another plot-hole riddled movie," Maya and Athena shot a glare at him. He ignored them. "I think I'm gonna call it a night."

He said goodnight to everyone and headed off to his room while Maya popped the next movie in and plopped down next to Phoenix.

"I don't think I like Apollo anymore, Nick. You should probably get rid of him."

Phoenix chuckled. "Maya, if I let you make every decision about the office, I'd have my employees standing in court dressed as samurais."

"And what's wrong with that? It would make trials way more interesting!" Phoenix sighed and sank into the couch. _And this is the girl I've decided to fall for?_

* * *

"Take this, Evil Magistrate! Mid-February Drizzle Combo!"

"GYAAAAAAAAH! Curse you, Samurai! I'll be back! And I will destroy you AND your princess!"

 _Whoever comes up with these attack names needs to be fired_ Phoenix thought to himself, again rubbing his, now for certain, bruised side.

"Yeah, no one beats the Power Couple of Neo Olde Tokyo!" Maya shouted. She hopped up to put in the next movie and Phoenix decided it was time beat a hasty retreat.

"Well, at great as this has been, I think I'm off to bed myself."

"Awww, are you sure, Nick? This next one has the best action scenes in the series!"

Phoenix's ribs began screaming at him to get out of there. "Uh, yeah, sorry. It's been a long day, and I'm beat. But I'll tell ya what, I'll get up early tomorrow and make us all breakfast, ok?"

Maya smiled, clapping her hands together and bowing her head.

"Great, it's been so long since I've had your pancakes!"

Phoenix laughed and hugged her.

"I'll see you all in the morning. Trucy, don't stay up much later, ok?"

"Ok Daddy, just 3 more hours and I'll head to bed!"

Phoenix sighed. _I am way too lenient on that girl_ he thought as he headed towards his room.

Maya waited until she was sure Phoenix was out of earshot, then turned the TV off and looked at the girls. "Alright just us girls now!" She exclaimed as she hopped onto the couch. "Time for girl talk!"

Athena smiled "Finally, I thought those two would never leave!"

"Please, Daddy usually goes to bed around 9 at home. I'm surprised he lasted this long!"

The four girls laughed.

"So," Maya said, looking at Athena. "First topic, Athena, you're head over heels for Apollo, aren't you?"

Athena flinched at the question and blushed. "W-w-what!? N-no way! He's just my friend!" Maya stared at her almost accusingly. "I mean, er, if he asked me out, I, uh, guess I would maybe, possibly say… yes."

"Dang it!" Cried Trucy, as she fished into her pocket and pulled out a ten-dollar bill, handing it to Pearl.

"HA!" laughed Pearl "I TOLD you! I have a good eye for these things, Miss Trucy."

Athena gaped at the two. "Y-you guys were betting on that!?"

"Yep," beamed Pearl. "The second I saw you two at the train station, I knew he was your special someone!"

Trucy folded her arms, puffing out her cheeks. "I told her she was full of it and we made a bet."

Athena glared at the two, Widget turning red to indicate her anger, when Maya put her hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Athena. We won't say anything" Maya said, smiling.

Athena calmed down, then thought of a way to turn things around. "Well, what about you and Mr. Wright? I'd say you're just mad about him!"

It was Maya's turn to blush. "N-no! It's not like that! I've known him for years! He's just my best friend."

Athena folded her arms and smiled at the Spirit Medium. "Did Mr. Wright ever tell you about my power? About how I can hear the discord in someone's heart when they're lying?" Maya nodded. "Well I'm hearing a lot of discord from your heart right now, Miss Fey!" She exclaimed, pointing her finger at Maya.

Maya knew she was beat and sighed. "Ok, you got me. I'm in love with your boss. Happy now?"

Athena smiled while Trucy and Pearl gushed, no doubt hearing wedding bells in their heads. Athena put a hand on Maya's shoulder. "Hey, cheer up. If it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty much certain he feels the same way."

Maya looked at the girl. "Really?"

Athena nodded. "I can hear the discord in his voice too whenever he talks about you."

Maya smiled. _It's still a bit hard to believe_ _but, I don't think she's lying. Maybe he does feel the same.  
_  
The girls talked for a little while (Getting Trucy to admit she had a crush on a boy from school in the process) before finally calling it a night and heading to their rooms.

 _I can't believe I opened up about that right in front of everyone. There's no way Apollo feels the same._ Athena thought to herself. _But, maybe I should tell him while we're on vacation. I mean, what's the worst that could happen? He's already accused me of murder before, can't get any worse than that!  
_  
Athena stepped into her room and climbed into her bed. She could have sworn she felt something heavy on the bed right next her, but she was too tired to acknowledge it. She let out a yawn and fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of a certain horned attorney.


	2. Chapter 2: Hiking

**Author's note: Although no one left any reviews on the last chapter, I was incredibly shocked to see someone actually favorited the story. Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter as well. I'll try to keep putting chapters up as consistently as I can.**  
 **Also, for anyone who doesn't get the pun in the first paragraph: Otto Yaleeg=Outta your league.**

* * *

June 7  
9:07 AM  
Fey Manor

Maya awoke that morning to a smell that brought back memories. The smell of blueberry pancakes. She immediately ran to the kitchen to see several stacks of Phoenix Wright's Famous Blueberry Pancakes, along with her best friend, still clad in his pajamas, sitting at the table, sipping on a cup of coffee while doing some puzzles from a book.

"That's weird," she said. "I don't remember inviting the professor here."

Phoenix glanced at her and smiled. "Please, like I'll ever get on that man's level when it comes to puzzles."

Maya wandered over to the fridge and poured herself some orange juice, before stacking her plate high with the delicious fluffy discs. Upon her first bite, she let out a contented sigh.

"I'm telling you, Nick. If this lawyer thing falls through again, you could always open a breakfast diner."

He shot her a glare before returning to his puzzles. "So, what did you girls do last night after I went to bed?"

Maya blushed, remembering what she confessed to everyone last night. "Oh, you know, just talked about clothes and boys…"

"Boys? Oh man, please don't tell me Trucy's talking about dating now?"

Maya giggled. "Yep. If I remember right, his name was… Otto Yaleeg? It was something weird like that."

Phoenix began to sweat. _I am not prepared for this. I am the opposite of prepared._

"And not just Trucy, either. Apparently, Athena has a thing for Apollo."

"And Pearls hits the nail on the head again. Speaking of those two, I wonder what's got them still in bed. Athena's usually at the office earlier than this. And we don't open till 10."

"They're on vacation, Nick. Probably just sleeping in." Said Maya, shoving another forkful of syrupy goodness in her mouth.

Athena began to stir and immediately felt like something was odd, even before she opened her eyes. _It feels like something's on me. Maybe I'm just imagining it._ She opened her eyes and immediately realized how wrong she was.

Apollo's face loomed just inches from hers, and his arm was around her waist. Athena immediately wanted to spring up from the bed, but decided against it, to avoid waking Apollo. _Ohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrap! I must have climbed into his bed by accident last night. Okay, stay calm, Athena. If you're careful, you can get out of this and no one will ever know._

She slowly reached for his arm and very lightly grabbed his wrist. Sadly, she was shaking so much she lost her grip and dropped his hand. Athena tensed up as Apollo stirred slightly and pulled her closer unconsciously. _As much as I'd love to cuddle with you, Apollo, I'd rather we were actually TOGETHER first._ He was holding her too close to move without waking him. She decided on her last resort. As Athena braced herself, preparing to roll out of the bed and onto the floor, Apollo finally stirred and awoke. _Welp, this is where I die of embarrassment. I lived a good life.  
_  
Apollo opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Athena smiling a nervous smile at him. He smiled back calmly…

"GAH!" He jumped quickly out of the bed, having finally fully grasped the situation. Unfortunately, when he did, he scared Athena, who fell off the bed and onto the floor. "A-Athena! Are you okay?" He said rushing over to her and pulled her off the floor. She took a seat back on the bed.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine, Apollo." She said, smiling a very nervous smile. Apollo was still having a mini-freakout, but managed to stutter out.

"Uh, w-why, were you i-in my bed?"

Athena opened her mouth to explain when a small knock came at their door.

"Athena, Apollo?" The voice belonged to Maya. "I heard something hit the ground in there. Everything okay?"

Apollo unintentionally let loose his Chords of Steel "W-WE'RE FINE MISS FEY!" _Wanna try that a little louder, Apollo? Not sure you woke up everyone else in the village!_ Athena thought.

Maya's voice came out shakily "O-ok. W-well when you guys are ready, Nick made blueberry pancakes!" Her footsteps were heard making their way back to the kitchen.

Apollo turned back to Athena to ask what was going on again, only to realize she was gone, having rushed to the bathroom and turned on the shower. _What in the world is going on here?_

"APOLLO!" Suddenly, Trucy's voice rang throughout the house and his door slid open. She walked right up to him and gave him a hard punch in the shoulder. "You agreed, no Chords of Steel workouts in the morning while we're here. You nearly gave Pearls a heart attack!"

Apollo rubbed his shoulder. "Uh, sorry, Truce. I didn't mean to. I just-"

"I don't care." One wouldn't guess it, but Trucy is NOT a morning person. "Do it again and I'll make your tie burst into flame at your next trial."

Apollo believed her 100 percent, and nodded. "Sorry." Trucy stormed out of the room. _This vacation may very well be the death of me._

* * *

Apollo finally made his way to the kitchen and saw that everyone had already piled in for breakfast. Well, everyone, that is, except for Athena, who was still showering when he left the room. He quietly walked by Trucy, who seemed to be chugging down something from a mug that he could only assume to be coffee. _When did she become a coffee drinker? Wait, probably 5 minutes ago._ He stacked a few blueberry pancakes onto his plate and poured himself some coffee. He felt he was gonna need it today. He ate away at his pancakes (which he had to admit were some of the best he'd ever had) when Athena finally made her way into the kitchen. Her hair was wet and she still wore her pajamas. She glanced at Apollo, who noticed a blush stain her cheeks, and looked away, moving towards the counter to get her breakfast. When she had pancakes and coffee, she took a seat next to Maya… Which just so happened to be the farthest seat from him. Everyone sat in uncomfortable silence for a while. Well, except for Phoenix and Maya, who whispered to each other, laughing every so often. Finally Maya stood up and slammed her hands on the table, scaring everyone. Pearl almost fell out of her chair. _Poor girl. She's gonna have a heart attack before we even leave the house at this rate._

"Ok guys, me and Nick discussed it, and today, we're going on a hike in the woods!"

Everyone seemed pretty unenthusiastic. Probably due to them all being given a rude awakening.

"Please, hold your applause everyone!" Phoenix said, earning a tiny giggle from Athena.

"Alright, everyone finish your breakfast and get dressed, then meet up in the main room in 20 minutes." Maya said, placing her dishes in the sink and running off to her room.

Phoenix did the same, but walked by Apollo and whispered in his ear. "You seem a bit out of it. Come see me in my room in a few minutes." Apollo nodded and took another bite of his pancakes. The rest of breakfast was spent in complete silence before everyone went back to their rooms.

* * *

Apollo stood outside Phoenix's room, dressed in his self-proclaimed "Stylin' Street Clothes." He knocked on the door, which slid open shortly after to reveal Phoenix dressed in his hobo outfit. Minus the beanie.

"Ah, Apollo, glad you came. Come on in."

Apollo stepped inside and Phoenix slid the door shut. "Alright, what's troubling you, Apollo?"

Apollo considered lying, and saying nothing was bothering him, but he knew about Phoenix's Magatama, which showed when someone was lying.

"..Promise not to tell any of the others, alright." Apollo demanded

"You have my word."  
Apollo sighed. "Ok, this morning I woke up and found Athena sleeping in my bed with me."

He expected to hear Phoenix laughing, but the man looked completely calm. "And I guess that was kind of a shock, huh?" Questioned Phoenix.

"Oh, you have no idea. I jumped out of bed when I realized what was going on, which I guess scared her. That's what you guys heard hit the floor. Athena."

Phoenix did let out a small chuckle there before continuing. "But I think there's more to it than that."

Apollo stared at him. "What are you getting at, Mr. Wright?"

"Well, I can understand you being freaked out when you woke up. But I saw you at breakfast. You kept glancing at her and blushing."

 _I thought_ _ **I**_ _was the one with super eyesight._

"Apollo, is there something you maybe wanna tell me about?"

Apollo felt a lump in his throat, but managed to choke out "I think I like Athena. As more than a friend, Mr. Wright."

The first thing Apollo expected was a scolding and being told about a workplace policy about dating co-workers. Instead, his ears were greeted with "Damn, now I owe Pearls ten bucks."

 _Please tell me I heard that wrong._ "W-what the hell are you talking about?"

"Huh, oh nothing. Don't worry about it. But, anyway, you're probably expecting me to be mad and threaten your job."

Apollo looked at his boss, with a look of near defeat on his face. "Yeah, kinda."

"Well…" _Here it comes…_ "Good luck to you."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wright, I- Wait, what?" He looked at the man with utter surprise.

"I said good luck. I think you two would be great together."

 _What was in those pancakes?_

"Wait, are you saying you'd be ok with it if me and Athena got together?" Apollo questioned.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be? You two work great on cases together and I know about your professionalism. I know you two won't let a little romance get in the way of your work."

 _Did I hit my head recently?_ "Uh, wow, Mr. Wright. Kinda surprised you're so lenient about this. But I don't think anything will come of this."

Phoenix looked at the man. "And why do you say that?"

"I really don't think she feels the same way."

 _I could tell him._ Phoenix thought. _But I think this is something he should figure out himself._

"Well," said Phoenix "I think that's something you should figure out. Maybe you should talk to her about it. Chances are she'll pull it out of you anyway when she hears the discord in your voice."

 _Gulp. That's something I'd like to avoid._ "Maybe. I'll think about it Mr. Wright. Thanks for the talk. I feel a lot better now."

Phoenix smiled and patted his employee on the back. "We should probably get to the main room. We're a little late."

The two started to walk out of the room when Apollo stopped. "Mr. Wright?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"You and Miss Fey," Apollo started. "Are you two-"

"No." Phoenix snapped.

 _Yikes. Note to self: Don't go there again._

Phoenix sighed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I get asked that a lot. The truth is, I do care for Maya. But even if she felt the same, I'm not sure I could go that far with her. Her older sister was my mentor, and she asked me to take care of Maya. I'm not sure she would approve."

"Oh, I guess I see your logic there." _Too bad. If you're gonna push me and Athena together, I'll be doing some pushing myself._

* * *

"Geez, Nick, we were about to leave without you! Your hip start acting up?" Maya poked fun at the lawyer as the two made their way into the room.

"Oh, haha. You're not fooling me. I know exactly how long it takes you to style your hair."

Maya was taken back and everyone laughed, having finally pulled themselves out of their slump. "So, is everyone all set to go?" Asked Maya.

"Oh yeah!" said Athena, punching her hand into her open palm. "I haven't been hiking in years!"

Maya smiled at her. "Well, let's not keep her waiting. Let's move out!" Maya led the group out of the house and to the entrance of the woods.

* * *

"Ah, I just love nature." Athena said, near the back of the group.

 _At least one of us is enjoying themselves._ Thought Apollo, as he swatted at another mosquito. The thought didn't last long as his eyes once again drifted to the yellow clad redhead next to him. _Mr. Wright has a point. I'm never gonna know if she likes me or not unless I talk to her. But how do you even start a conversation like that? "Hey, Athena, I was just wondering if you had any romantic feelings for me." Not gonna happen._

Athena snuck a glance at Apollo, who had his finger to his head, thinking. _I can't avoid talking to him forever. He's gotta still be wondering what I was doing in his bed this morning. I could just tell him it was an accident, but even though that's the truth, is he gonna buy it?_

Phoenix couldn't help but notice his two employees stealing glances at each other. _I may need to give these two a nudge towards happiness._ "Hey Trucy," he said "Did you bring your medication with you? Or your EpiPen?"

Maya was confused. "EpiPen? For what?"

Trucy chimed in. "I'm allergic to bee stings. I don't usually keep it with me. But I brought it with us since I knew this was a more rural area. But… I forgot it at the house, daddy."

 _Perfect._ "Well, we should go back and get it. Maya, you wanna come with?"

Maya thought for a second. _C'mon, Maya, please catch on. I know Trucy has._ "Alright, sure."

Apollo spoke up. "You want us to come with, Mr. Wright?"

"Nah, don't worry about it. I need Maya to lead us back. You and Athena stick with Pearls so you don't get lost and we'll catch back up later."

 _Damn it, Mr. Wright, I know what you're doing._

"Pearls," Phoenix said to the girl. "Think you can keep them from getting lost?"

The girl smiled and nodded. "Of course, Mr. Nick!"

He ruffled the girl's hair and headed the other direction. "C'mon guys, let's go."

Maya, Phoenix, and Trucy all started heading back to Fey Manor. "Truce," said Maya "You didn't really forget your EpiPen, did you?"

Trucy responded by reaching into her pocket and pulling out the injector. Maya sighed. "You're buying us a round of noodles when we get back, Nick."

Phoenix simply smiled and followed behind her.

* * *

 _I could use a silencer while wearing gloves. Wait, no, they'd be able to match my footprint. Plus it wouldn't be hard to place my motive._ Apollo thought to himself of the many ways he could get away with murdering Phoenix for forcing him into this situation. He sighed to himself. _Well, he went out of his way to get us alone. I may as well try and work with it. Maybe I should try to break the ice somehow… I can't believe I'm actually trying to figure out how to flirt with Athena._ His thoughts were cut short by Pearl.

"Mr. Polly, Miss Thena! C'mere, you gotta see this!"

The two rushed to catch up with the girl and found her on her knees in front of a flower.

"Wow!" said Athena. "That's such a beautiful flower." She bent down to take a closer look.

The petals were mostly purple, with small splotches of black all over, and the stems in the center were a bright green.

"It's called a Kurain lily. Legends dating back to Mystic Ami herself say that it has the power to bind two people's futures together." Pearl explained.

"Awwww, that's so romantic, isn't it Apollo?" _I hope that wasn't too obvious_ Athena thought.

"Huh, oh, yeah. Real beautiful stuff." He said, almost uninterested. _Well, there's an idea_ he thought to himself _._

Athena reached out to pick the flower, but Pearl stopped her. "No, don't! The legends also say that if the flower is picked without the intention of being given to someone, the one who picked it will be cursed forever."

Athena gasped and withdrew her hand. "Well, I definitely don't need any curses hanging over my head." She reached into her pocket and took out her phone, snapping a picture of the flower.

"Alright," Pearl said standing up. "Let's keep going. There's a small rest area just up ahead."

The two girls began walking along the trail again, while Apollo hung back for a moment. He knelt down and plucked the flower. _I hope I'm not making a huge mistake right now._

 **Kurain Lily was added to the court record.**

 **"** Hey Apollo! Don't hang back or we'll leave you!" cried Athena. "I'll be right there!" With that, Apollo jolted on ahead to catch up with the two girls. _And now I formulate my revenge._

* * *

Phoenix watched in amazement as Maya slurped down her third bowl of noodles. "How can you still be hungry? We had breakfast two hours ago!"

Maya set down her bowl and grinned at the lawyer. "Nick, you should know by now that my noodle stomach and my breakfast stomach are two completely different things! Hey, waiter! Two more bowls!" _And there goes that new watch I was looking at._

* * *

As Pearl, Athena, and Apollo sat down at the bench, Athena's thoughts drifted back to the flower. _That really is such a beautiful story. I wonder if Apollo likes flowers. Oh, who am I kidding? He'd laugh in my face if I gave him a flower._

"Hey, Athena?" Apollo interrupted her train of thought. She turned to look at him.

"Yeah?"

Apollo looked at the ground momentarily before looking back at her.

"Look, I know you're probably still embarrassed about this morning." _That is understatement, Mr. Justice._ Athena thought "But, this is bugging me, so I gotta know. Why were you in my bed?"

 _Damn it, nowhere to hide._ Athena sighed. "It was really nothing weird or anything. After the movies last night, I went to bed and didn't even realize you were there." Her cheeks were burning hot at this point.

Apollo thought for a moment. "So, it was just an accident?"

"Of course it was. I wasn't being creepy and trying to sleep with you. You're my friend, Apollo. I don't wanna make things weird." _Maybe denying things a LITTLE too much there, Athena_ she chastised herself.

* * *

"You're my friend, Apollo. I don't wanna make things weird."

 **BADUMP** _There it is. My bracelet just reacted when she said "friend."_ He wanted to press further, but decided to wait. Instead he responded to her

"Oh, alright then. Thanks for finally clearing that up. It was driving me crazy." Athena smiled at him, and he turned towards Pearl. "Hey, Pearls, can I ask you something?"

The young girl looked at him and smiled. "Of course, Mr. Polly. What is it?"

"Well, it's about Maya-"

"MYSTIC Maya." Pearl corrected.

Apollo flinched. "Oh, uh, right, MYSTIC Maya. Well, about her, what do you know about her sister?"

"Mystic Mia? I actually don't know much. I know she was a lawyer, like Mr. Nick. And Mystic Maya told me she was even his teacher."

 _That's everything I already knew._ "Well, what about what kind of person she was?"

Pearl began chewing on her thumb. "I really don't know. I only met her a few times, but…"

"But?" Apollo said.

Pearl hesitated a moment before speaking

"If you'd like, I could channel her so you can talk to her."

Athena chimed in. "Channel? What are you talking about?"

 _Why am I not surprised she was eavesdropping?_ "Yeah, I'm not sure what you mean, either."

Pearl rolled up her sleeve, seeming ready to punch someone. "You mean Mr. Nick hasn't told you about our spiritual powers?"

Apollo flinched slightly. "Oh, uh, n-no, he hasn't."

Pearl seemed to get angrier. "I'm gonna smack Mr. Nick good next time I see him!"

Athena and Apollo looked on in fear, before Pearl finally calmed herself. "Well, Mystic Maya and I, we both have powers. They let us channel the spirits of the dead by allowing them to use our bodies."

Apollo gave a very skeptical look. _Is it just me, or is the Twilight Zone theme playing from somewhere. Maybe I should play along._

Athena also seemed shocked by what the girl had just said. _Channeling the dead? Ok, this, I have to see._ Apollo broke the silence.

"Is that so? Well, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you channel Mia for us?" Apollo asked.

Pearl clapped her hands together and smiled. "Of course!" she said as she took a meditative stance.

* * *

"Ah, this place gives Eldoon's a run its money." Maya said, patting her belly. "But, I think I'm done for now, Nick."

 _Are you sure? I think they still have some left that you missed!_ Phoenix called for a waiter to bring the check. His eyes nearly shot of his head when he saw the total.

"And don't forget the tip, Nick!" _Forget the watch, there goes this month's rent!_

* * *

Athena and Apollo looked in awe at the person before them. Pearl had slowly changed and grown and now before them sat a beautiful woman in her late 20's. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at the two. She had a confused look on her face.

She crossed her arms in front of her and spoke "Who are you two?"

Apollo couldn't find his voice, but Athena finally spoke up

"Um, w-we're employees of Mr. Wright. I'm Athena Cykes."

Apollo finally found his voice and spoke. "A-and I'm Apollo Justice. Are you… Mia Fey?"

Mia thought for a moment and then smiled. "Yes, I am. And from the looks on your faces, this must be your first time witnessing a spirit channeling."

Apollo was still at a loss for words, but managed to stutter out "Y-yeah. I never thought something like this was possible."

Mia continued to smile. "So, since I'm here, I can only assume there's something you want to ask me?"

Apollo finally cleared his head. "Yeah, Apollo." Said Athena. "This is cool and all, but why were you asking Pearls about her?"

"O-oh yeah. Um, Miss Fey."

"Please, Mia is fine. I don't care much for formalities."

 _So in other words, cut the formal crap._ "O-ok. Um, Mia. I was wanting to ask you about Mr. Wright and Maya."

Mia put on a quizzical face. "What about them?"

"Well, I spoke to Mr. Wright earlier, and he told me he had feelings for Maya." Mia smiled. "But, he told me that he doesn't want to act on them because he thinks you wouldn't approve."

Athena chimed in. "Apollo, are you telling me you called someone from the dead to play matchmaker for the boss!?"

 _Well, that wasn't exactly the plan, but that's how it turned out._ "Uh, kinda looks that way, huh?" he said nervously, and was met with a smack to the back of the head.

"Apollo! That is so rude!"

Mia stifled a giggle. "Athena, was it? It's fine. Any time I can spend back here is time well spent. Now, Apollo, am I correct in assuming that you just want to know my thoughts about Phoenix and my sister as a couple?" Apollo nodded. Mia sighed. "Honestly, that man comes up with the worst excuses." She muttered to herself before turning back to them. "Apollo, would you happen to have a pen and some paper?"

"Yeah, I always keep a notepad on hand." He said, reaching into his backpack and handing his notepad to Mia.

"Thank you." She said, and began writing in the notepad. She finally tore a page out and folded it up tightly, handing it to Apollo. "Please don't read this, but be sure to give it to Phoenix."

 **Mia's Note was added to the court record.**

"Thank you, Mia. I'll be sure to give it to him."

Mia smiled. "I'm glad to help. Now, why don't you two tell me about yourselves? I'm always happy to meet friends of Maya's."

Athena smiled and sat next to Mia. Apollo looked on at the two and thought to himself. _This is the weirdest friend I have ever made. Hands down. But, wait, if Pearls can channel the spirits of the dead, maybe she could channel…_

* * *

"C'mon, Nick! How can you be so slow after dropping so much weight out of your wallet?" Maya called back to Phoenix who was still trailing behind her.

"How can you still be so fast with all those noodles in your gut?

"Fey family secret, Nick!"

 _That's one secret I'd like to learn._

"C'mon, Daddy, we gotta hurry and catch up to everyone else!"

Suddenly, Phoenix heard a voice off in the distance. "You hear that, Nick? It sounds like Apollo and Athena."

"Yeah, I think you're right."

Maya grabbed his hand. "C'mon, this way." She led him down the trail, and they eventually came out at a small rest area with a few benches scattered around. Athena, Apollo, and Pearl sat on one, laughing.

"Hey, what are you guys talking about that's so funny?" Maya cried.

The trio turned to look at the new arrivals. Athena smiled and spoke "Oh, nothing too important. But you guys sure took your sweet time."

Phoenix laughed. "Yeah, well you have Maya's noodle stomach to thank for that." Everyone laughed.

Apollo spoke up. "Well, now that we're all back together, should we head further in?"

Phoenix's legs screamed at him, but Maya spoke up. "Of course! If we keep going we'll be at the other side of the lake." Maya grabbed Phoenix's hand again and dragged him along, with everyone else following behind. _Remind me why a vacation here sounded good again._

* * *

Several more hours passed and the group finally headed back to Fey Manor. Everyone adjourned to their rooms to get changed into their evening clothes. Phoenix plopped down on the couch in the living room.

"If I ever take another step in my life, it will be too soon."

Maya sat down next to him. "Oh cheer up, Nick. It wasn't that bad. Besides, I know just the thing to make you feel better." Phoenix looked at her, questioningly. In response, she held up a DVD case. The box read The Steel Samurai Meets the Jammin' Ninja.

 _NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

* * *

Athena and Apollo laid down on their own beds, ready to crash from the day's long hike. Apollo began to drift off when Athena's voice snapped him awake. "Hey, Apollo?"

 _Ugh, why now? I just want to sleep._ "Yeah?"

Athena hesitated a moment. "Why did you call Maya's sister earlier to hook up the boss? I mean, don't get me wrong, it was cool and all, but it kinda came out of the blue."

Apollo thought for a moment, and decided to withhold the information. "I have my reasons, Athena. You'll find out soon enough."

Athena groaned. "Awww, c'mon, now I gotta know!"

Apollo laughed. "You'll find out tomorrow. I promise."

Athena sighed. "Oh, fine. But tell me, how did you know Pearls could do that? I still can't get over what happened!"

Apollo laughed again. "Honestly, I had no idea. But it was definitely pretty cool."

Athena stayed silent before speaking again. "Apollo, if she can do that for anyone who's died, do you think that means she could channel-"

"I'm not sure." Apollo said bluntly. "But, before we leave, I plan to ask."

He couldn't see it, but Athena smiled. "I hope she can. I know it will make you happy."

"Yeah." She could sense the overwhelming happiness in his heart. But also the sadness. A heavy silence stuck in the air before Athena broke it.

"Good night, Apollo."

Apollo smiled. "Good night, Athena."


	3. Chapter 3: Or?

**Author's note: Well, I honestly wrote this one up much faster than I thought I would. Though, I may take a break before starting on the next chapter.**  
 **Anyway, this chapter literally just came to me because I have always wanted to see Apollo in a situation where his Chords of Steel could be compared to the Thu'um. My way of going about that? Sticking him in a wrestling ring of course!**

 **Also, on the one hand, I think this is the funniest chapter I've written so far, but on the other hand, I have zero knowledge of wrestling, so I apologize to any and all wrestling fans who are disgusted by this chapter.**

 **Also, of note, I took JordanPhoenix's advice and broke up the the story better to make it easier to read.**

 **One last thing, the songs in this chapter are as follows:**

 **Courtroom Revolutionnaire**

 **Apollo's Objection theme**

 **Go forth! Amazing Nine-Tails**

 **Now, without further ado, Chapter 3!**

* * *

June 8  
9:32 AM  
Fey Manor

Apollo awoke, well rested and stretched as he yawned. He looked over at Athena's bed, shocked to see she was already gone. _Wonder where she's run off to so early._ He climbed out of bed and walked into the bathroom to get his morning shower.

Apollo walked into the kitchen, planning to make some coffee, but when he walked in, he saw Athena standing at the stove, wooden spoon in hand.

"Morning, Athena." He started "watcha making?"

Athena turned and smiled at him. "Oh, hey. Morning, Apollo. It's just eggs benedict."

Apollo sighed. "I'm not sure there's such a thing as **just** eggs benedict, Athena."

"Oh, be quiet. Make yourself useful and put the coffee on, then come stir this hollandaise sauce."

Apollo was already a step ahead as he began brewing the coffee and walked over to take over stirring. As he was helping out, he heard Athena started humming a tune. It was actually a very beautiful song that sounded somehow familiar.

"Hey, Athena?" Apollo asked.

"Hm? What is it? Did you burn the sauce!?"

Apollo laughed. "No, it's fine. It's that song you were humming. What's it called? It sounds so… familiar."

Athena looked at him and thought for a moment. "I honestly can't think of the name. But it's a song I hear in my head when I'm standing in court and I know I have the truth staring me in the face."  
Apollo smiled at her.

"I-I know that sounds stupid." Athena said, blushing.

"Not at all. Honestly, the same thing happens to me too." He said as he took the sauce off the burner and set it on the counter.

"Really?" Asked Athena. "What does yours sound like?"

Apollo looked at her, to see she was smiling at him. He sighed. "Promise you won't laugh?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die."

Apollo looked at the floor and began to hum a song, feeling incredibly embarrassed doing so as Athena simply watched. _You could at least keep cooking instead of staring at me._ Athena caught onto the melody and began to hum along. The two stood there, humming for a minute when suddenly the timer on the oven beeped, bringing them back to reality. "Oh!" Athena exclaimed. "The English muffins are done."

Apollo watched her as she pulled the muffins out of the oven. _That was… odd. But, also relaxing._

"Hey, Apollo, can you put the bacon on now?" Athena asked.

Apollo smiled at the girl. "Sure." He said as he began lay strips of bacon in the skillet.

* * *

Everyone slowly piled into the kitchen and began having their breakfast.

"Athena!" Cried Maya. "These are SO good. I mean it, you and Nick need to open a restaurant together."

Athena laughed. "Well, if we did that, we'd need Apollo too. He helped, y'know." She looked over at him, smiling shyly.

"Really?" Trucy chimed in. "Polly can cook?" Everyone laughed. Well, except for Apollo. _Hey, I have skills beyond the courtroom, y'know._

"Anyway," Apollo spoke up "What's the plan for today?"

Everyone went silent as they thought. Maya spoke up. "Well, there's honestly not much else to do around here."

"You're kidding, right?" Asked Apollo. He then suddenly found himself remembering their first day in the village.

" _ **Oh yeah, you guys haven't been here before. Well… I guess we could hike around the woods, go down to the lake and swim, or…"**_

"Wait," said Apollo. "The first day we were here, you started to talk about something else we could do, but said we'd save it for another day."

Maya thought to herself. "Well, that's true, but I'm not sure you all would go along with it."

Trucy chimed in. "Then don't tell us! Let's just do it! It'll be an awesome surprise, I'm sure."

Maya looked at the girl, who smiled at her. "Well… I dunno. Are you all sure?" She looked around at everyone, who nodded at her. Except for Phoenix.

"Nick, what about you?"

He took a moment to think. "Past experience has told me never to go along with surprises from you. But…" He looked around at everyone. "I say we go with the majority here and let them learn from their mistakes." He said, smiling.

Athena jumped up. "Alright, it's settled. Today's a wild card!" She punched her fist into her palm.

Maya smiled and put her dishes in the sink. "Ok, everyone go get dressed. You know the routine by now."

Everyone headed off to their rooms as Apollo thought to himself. _Time to put my plan in motion._

* * *

Apollo had dressed himself quickly and went to stake out Phoenix's room. He was almost noticed by Maya when she left her room, but managed to duck behind a wall at the last second. Finally, he saw Phoenix leave his room. He waited a moment to be sure his boss wouldn't return, then snuck in. The man walked over to the end table by the bed and began to rummage through the court record (Which in reality was his backpack) _C'mon, where is it?_

"Apollo?" A voice said from behind, scaring him. He turned around to see Phoenix standing in the doorway, once again in his laid back clothes. _Busted._

"What are you doing in my room?" He asked. _Damn, no time to think of a lie. Ugh, looks like I'll have to come clean._

Apollo sighed. "I came in here to leave something for you."

"Leave something for me? Apollo, if you have a gift for me, you don't have to hide it in my room." Phoenix said, smiling.

"Uh, it's not exactly a gift." he said, rummaging through his backpack. _Aha! There it is._  
 **TAKE THAT!**

Apollo held out his hand and gave Phoenix a piece of paper.

Phoenix took the paper from Apollo and looked at it. "Apollo, you just told me you liked Athena yesterday, now you're giving me a love letter?" He said, laughing.

Apollo frowned at the man, then began heading for the door. "Just read it, ok. I'm not sure what it says myself, but I'm sure you'll like it." With that, Apollo left the room.

Phoenix took a look at the piece of paper in his hand and unfolded it. He immediately recognized the handwriting. _Mia._ It was a very short message, but it made his heart jump. On the piece of paper in his hands, were these words:

 _Phoenix,_  
 _I approve. Just take care of her._  
 _-Mia_

Phoenix read over the words time and time again. _She approves? She's… ok with me and Maya?_  
Suddenly, a voice rang through the air, pulling him from his thoughts.

"C'mon, Nick! We're done waiting on you!" Maya yelled from the main room.

Phoenix shoved the note into his end table drawer and grabbed his cell phone, which was the reason he had returned to his room, and rushed out the door. _Apollo, you sneaky bastard._

* * *

The group walked into a building that seemed very out of place in the village, given that it was much more modern looking, being made of grey stones. When they stepped inside, it suddenly became clear why Maya was skeptical about bringing everyone.

"WELCOME, CITIZENS OF KURAIN VILLAGE, TO SPIRIT SMASH 6!" Boomed a voice over the wrestling ring. "WHO AMONG US WILL REIGN SUPREME OVER THE COMPETITORS AND TAKE HOME THE CHAMPION'S BELT!?" The crowd let out a huge roar.

"You brought us to watch a wrestling tournament?" Phoenix said to Maya.

Maya smiled at him. "No, I brought you to COMPETE in a wrestling tournament!"

Everyone was taken aback.

"W-what!?" Cried Apollo. "No way, I am NOT wrestling!"

"Yeah!" Said Phoenix. "I expected something weird, but this is something else!"

Maya laughed nervously. "Well, y'see, the thing is, you're already signed up."

"WHAAAAAAAAT!?" cried everyone.

"You didn't think to ask us first!?" Exclaimed Apollo.

"Hey, you guys all said you wanted a surprise! So, I called here and signed you up before we left." Maya retorted.

Athena finally chimed in. "Oh c'mon, Apollo, I think you and Mr. Wright will look awesome out there."

Maya spoke up again. "And you'll look great out there too, Athena!"

"Uh, what?" Athena questioned.

"It's a tag team tournament, so I signed you and me up too!" Maya exclaimed.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?" Everyone said again.

Everyone argued back and forth for a bit before the announcer's voice was her again.

"Will all participants please come to the dressing rooms?"

"I guess that's our cue." Maya said and began pushing her reluctant friends to the dressing rooms as Trucy and Pearl waved them off.

"Try not to die, Polly!" "You too, Mr. Nick!"

Apollo and Phoenix looked at Maya and asked, "Why aren't they competing?"

Maya smiled at them. "Because they're not 18, duh!"

* * *

"Alright, first, I'd like to thank you all for coming." The referee said to everyone. "Now, I'm going to call off your names, and I just need you to say here, so I can check you off."

The ref began to call off names, two at a time, obviously checking off teams as he went. _What the hell have you gotten us into, Maya?_ Phoenix thought.

"Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey?" The referee called their names.

"Here!" Maya exclaimed, holding up her hand.

 _Wait._ Phoenix thought. _WE'RE a team!?_ "Uh, here."

The ref paused. "Wait, Maya Fey? As in, MASTER Maya Fey?"

Everyone in the locker room began to mutter amongst themselves before Maya spoke up. "No, not MASTER Maya. Not today. I'm on vacation." She looked around at everyone in the locker room. "So don't any of you think about holding back on me!"

Everyone went silent before the ref cleared his throat. "A-alright then. Moving on. Athena Cykes and Apollo Justice?"

"Here!" said Athena, surprisingly enthusiastically.

"Uh, here, I guess." Apollo said nervously.

The ref checked them off the list and kept going. _I'm going to die. I'm going to die before I can even give Athena that flower._

The ref finally checked everyone off the list. "Alright, now onto the rules. The matches are tag team. You can tag out with your partner as many times as you want, but if your partner steps into the ring without being tagged in, you are automatically disqualified. No outside interference from your partner either."

The ref droned on for a bit with other rules. All of them were pretty basic. No hair pulling, no pulling on your opponent's costume, no spitting, win by ring out or pinning your opponent for 10 seconds, and if the active participant was pinned or thrown out of the ring, the match was over.

"Alright, ladies, head on over to the locker room across from this one and find yourselves a costume. Men, stay here and do the same. When you're ready, talk to the announcer by the ring about your stage names."

With that, the man walked out of the room, as did the girls. Apollo and Phoenix were left with maybe 6 other men in the room.

Phoenix looked at Apollo nervously, but tried to make a joke. "Y'know, this is probably all of the men in the village right here."

Apollo was not amused. "Are we seriously gonna do this? We could always quit."

Phoenix looked at him and smiled. "Yeah, we could quit. If you're ok with admitting to Athena that you're scared."

Apollo gave a sigh of defeat. "And I don't suppose faking sick will work either."

Phoenix laughed and gave his employee a slap on the back. "C'mon, let's get ourselves outfitted."

* * *

Athena looked around the locker room, noticing there were only six other girls in the room with her and Maya. She looked at Maya and smiled. "We're gonna wipe the floor with these punks!" She exclaimed.

Maya looked at her and smiled. "Yeah! And me and Nick are gonna take you and Apollo down in the finals, just like at the lake."

"Oh, is that so, little Miss Fey? How about a wager then?"

Maya's curiosity was piqued. "What did you have in mind?"

Athena thought for a moment and took on a devilish grin. "Whoever loses has to confess their feelings to their crush!"

Maya flinched for a second, but not being one to back down from a challenge, she regained her composure and extended a hand to Athena. "You're on!"

The two shook and the bet was on.

* * *

Pearl and Trucy packed into a pair of seats, carrying armfuls of candy (Paid for via Phoenix's mysterious disappearing wallet)

"So, who are you rooting for, Pearls?"

"Mystic Maya and Mr. Nick, of course!" the girl said, beaming. "What about you, Miss Trucy?"

Trucy thought for a moment. "As much I wanna root for Daddy, I think Polly and Athena have this in the bag."

Pearl rolled up her sleeve. "How could you say that!? No one can beat Mystic Maya and Mr. Nick when they're together!"

Trucy held up her hands in defense. "Hey, I just think Athena's a better fighter. She actually KNOWS martial arts."

The two argued back and forth before Trucy finally held out her hand. "10 bucks?"

Pearl took her hand and shook it. "10 bucks."

* * *

Finally, the announcer's voice boomed of the stage again. "WELCOME AGAIN, EVERYONE, TO SPIRIT SMASH 6! WE'RE FINALLY GOING TO GET UNDERWAY, SPLEASE TURN YOUR ATTENTION TO THE RING."

Trucy and Pearls looked towards the ring to see the announcer, wearing a black suit with a red tie, stepping in. "For our first match today, we have a local favorite team. Please, put your hands together for the power couple of Kurain Village, Max "the Bone Grinder" and "Lightning Lucy Katosh!"

Cheers erupted from the stands as a rather muscular couple walked on stage, and began flexing in their corner.

"And now, for the challengers! You all know her, you all love her. She's the Master of the Kurain Village, but can she be… Master of the ring!? Give it up for Maya "The Master" FEY!"

Another eruption of applause from the stands nearly drowned out the announcer as Maya took her spot in the ring, sporting a purple wrestling uniform with a large green magatama on the front.

"And her partner, a man said to be able to turn any impossible case in the courtroom into a victory. Can he do the same here in the ring? Let's hear it for… Phoenix "The Defender" WRIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!"

A few people cheered, with Pearl and Trucy being the loudest, as Phoenix nervously walked into the ring, wearing a blue gym class style wrestling uniform.

"Who will leave this ring in glory? Who will leave in shame? Challengers, it's time to…" The announcer held his microphone out to the audience, who complete his sentence for him "SPIRIT SMASH!"

The match finally began, and Maya hopped out of the ring, hanging on the ropes. Lucy id the same, leaving Max and Phoenix in the ring. Phoenix's legs were visibly shaking. _Gulp. Didn't they call this guy the Bone Grinder?_

As if reading his thoughts, his opponent taunted him. "Come little lawyer man. I will grind your bones into a fine powder!"

With that, the large man rushed at Phoenix in a tackle. Phoenix nearly screamed, but kept his head cool and rolled out of the way. _Welp, Maya, you've finally managed to find the perfect way to kill me. Congratulations._

"C'mon, Nick, you can take this guy! I've seen you take on bigger people!" Maya cheered from the side.

"Maya, there's a difference between a courtroom and a wrestling ring!" Phoenix yelled back. As he was distracted talking to Maya, Max took the opportunity to grab his arm and spin him around in a circle, sending him flying into the ropes.

"WHOAAAAAAAA!" Phoenix caught the ropes and looked back at his opponent, who was now rushing at him again for a tackle. _Forget this!_ Phoenix thought as he rolled forward and went underneath the man's legs. He ran towards Maya and tagged her in.

"Wha- Nick, what are you doing!?" Maya yelled.

"Doing what it takes to survive!" he said back, pulling her into the ring. "Just use your Samurai moves on him or something!"

Maya sighed. _My knight in shining armor._ She thought sarcastically as looked towards her opponent. She was surprised to Max running over to tag in Lucy, who hoisted herself onto the ropes before jumping off and doing a front flip. She landed just in front of Maya.

"Master or not, in the ring, your just another opponent to knock down!" She said as she lunged for Maya.

Maya circled around quickly and reached to grab her opponent's arm. But Lucy quickly performed a backwards somersault and ended up on the other side of the ring before Maya could even blink.

 _I guess that's where the nickname Lightning comes from._ Maya thought to herself. She watched as Lucy ran at her, but noticed something peculiar. The way Lucy ran, it looked familiar. She continued to evade as she racked her brain for where she'd seen that run before. Then, it hit her like a ton of bricks.

" _ **Please, put your hands together for the power couple of Kurain Village,"**_

 _Power couple? That's it! She's running like the Pink Princess!_

Upon this realization, Maya knew exactly what to do. She finally stopped evading and stood her ground, as Lucy lunged at her again. She waited until the last second, then ducked down waited for a split second before rising again in a lunge. "Early Winter Blizzard Lunge!" She exclaimed. She connected with her opponent and grabbed hold of her.

Phoenix watched in awe as Maya completely turned the tables. "Go, Maya! End this quick!"

Maya heard Phoenix's cheers from the sidelines and obliged. She took a tight hold on Lucy and began spinning around quickly, before releasing her and exclaiming, "Late Summer Twister Toss!" Lucy was sent flying, and landed outside of the ring.

The audience fell silent, before erupting into a roar of applause.

"AND LIGHTNING LUCY KATOSH IS OUT OF THE RING! THAT MEANS THE VICTORY GOES TO MASTER MAYA FEY AND PHOENIX THE DEFENDER WRIGHT!" The announcer cried as cheers flooded the building.

Phoenix jumped into the ring and ran to hug Maya. "I cannot believe you pulled that off!"

Maya looked at him and smiled triumphantly. "How could you doubt me? I AM the Master of the ring!"

The two climbed out of the ring and headed to the dressing rooms.

"But, seriously, Maya. How did you do that? That was incredible!"

Maya thought for a second. "Well, it's all a matter of knowing your Samurai moves."

Phoenix couldn't help but laugh. "Lemme guess, she was moving like the Evil Magistrate wasn't she?"

Maya puffed out her cheeks and glared at him. "Of course not, Nick! Don't be stupid… She was moving like the Pink Princess!"

Phoenix laughed even more as Maya glared at him. He finally calmed himself down. "Well, either way, we won."

"WE won?" Maya questioned angrily.

"Alright, alright, YOU won."

At this, Maya smiled again. "You know it!" As they continued walking, the passed Athena and Apollo, both wearing yellow and red wrestling outfits, respectively.

"Mr. Wright!" Cried Apollo. "We heard about your match. Great job out there!"

"Hey, why are you congratulating him!? I did all the work!" Maya exclaimed.

Everyone laughed and talked for a bit.

"So, you guys are up next?" Phoenix asked.

"Yup!" Said Athena. "And we're gonna take 'em down!" Pumping her fist into her hand.

Maya smiled at the two. "Well, good luck to both of you. Hopefully we'll see you in the finals."

Athena smiled at her. "Count on it!" With that, the two teams separated. Apollo and Athena headed for the ring, waiting for their names to be called.

* * *

"For our next match, we have two more newcomers. The first, is a man with a voice that can shatter glass! Welcome to the ring… Apollo "Steel Chords" JUSTICE!"

The crowd let out a few cheers, with Trucy shouting "Go Polly!" embarrassingly loud as Apollo made his way to the ring.

"And his partner, a fiery redhead who melts the hearts of men, please help me welcome… Athena "The Temptress" CYYYYYYYYYKES!"

Athena was met with a mix of cheers and boos. _Probably should have thought through "The Temptress" in a village of mostly women._ She thought as she made her way to the stage.

"The Temptress, Athena?" Apollo asked, looking exasperated.

Athena smiled cutely at him. "What, you don't find me tempting Apollo?"

Apollo flinched and cleared his throat. "I, uh, I wonder who our opponents are?" _Smooth Apollo, real smooth. Sure she'll let that slide later when you try asking her out._

"And now, their opponents. This man hardly needs an introduction, but we'll give him one anyway!"

Suddenly, over the speakers began to play a tune that Apollo and Athena recognized but couldn't place.

"Visiting our lovely village today only, please, put your hands together, for the one, the only… THE AMAZING NINE-TAILS!"

The roar of the crowd was nearly too much for everyone in the building.

"Did he just say The Amazing…" began Apollo, on the brink of a heart attack.

"Nine-Tails!?" Finished Athena.

As if to confirm their suspicions, a man leapt down from the stage lights, performing multiple front flips before landing and flashing his signature hand sign.

"Hello, Kurain Village!"

The crowd erupted again, nearly causing Apollo and Athena to go deaf.

 _We're dead._ Apollo thought. _We're dead, and we're going to die together in this ring!_

The crowd finally calmed down enough for the announcer to be heard. "And now, making her wrestling debut, please welcome The Amazing Nine-Tails' new partner! THE SPELLBINDER!"

Another roar from the crowd came as a young girl jumped down from the stage lights, only to be caught by The Amazing Nine-Tails, and hoisted onto his shoulders. The girl wore a black and white wrestling uniform and a geisha mask.

"We are here to exorcise the demons of this village!" She cried as she leapt off the man's shoulders.

"Wait, a second, that voice…" Mumbled Athena.

"JINXIE!?" Apollo cried.

The girl turned towards Apollo and immediately took on a frightened pose, brandishing several pieces of paper with Japanese symbols on them. "M-mr. Demon Lawyer!?"

 _Great, now I'm going to die AND I'm going to get charm slapped._

"Two teams enter! One teams leaves. It's time to…" Again the announcer had the audience finish for him. "SPIRIT SMASH!"

Athena shoved Apollo to the side while Mayor Tenma placed a hand on Jinxie's shoulder and nodded before leaving the ring.

Athena and Jinxie stood, staring each other down before Jinxie made the first move, rushing in with a charm and aiming for Athena's forehead, who dodged and tried to sweep Jinxie's legs out from under her. She was surprised to find that Jinxie was fast and jumped before she was hit. Athena moved to put distance between them, but again Jinxie was too quick, not allowing her any breathing room.

"Boy, Jinxie, never would have thought you'd put up a fight." Athena said as the two continued dodging each other's attempts to gain the upper hand.

"M-my father has been training me for months. He wants us to become a famous father/daughter wrestling team." Jinxie said as she attempted to grab Athena's arm, who jerked away at the last second.

"Aw, that's so cute. Too bad I can't let you win here!" Athena cried as she slid around Jinxie to grab her around the waist, but was suddenly met with a charm to the forehead. Athena was reeling for a moment, but regained her composure. She peeled the charm off her forehead, but was suddenly pulled to the ground by Jinxie, who placed her in a hold.

The ref began counting "1! 2! 3!"

 _Damn it, can't lose. Not with that bet going on!_

"4! 5! 6!"

"Athena!" Apollo yelled, reaching his hand in. "Tag me!"

She didn't have much choice if she was going to keep the match going.

"7! 8!"

Athena struggled to reach Apollo.

"9!"

"Got it!" Athena cried as she tagged Apollo in. Jinxie's hold finally relaxed as the active participant changed. Athena climbed out of the ring as Apollo stepped in.

Jinxie looked at Apollo, terrified. Apollo had no idea what to do. Or why he even bothered having Athena tag him in. he just felt it was the best course of action at time.

"Ack!" Apollo cried as his forehead had a charm placed on it. He pulled it off, noticing, once he did, that Jinxie had run over to the other side of the ring… Toward her father. _RED ALERT! THIS IS BAD! THIS IS VERY BAD!_

Jinxie tagged in her father who immediately leapt into the ring, landing squarely in front of Apollo.

Apollo looked at the man with fear in his eyes but managed to stutter out. "Uh, h-hey, Mayor Tenma! Uh, l-l-long time no see! How ya been?"

Tenma stared at Apollo through his mask and finally spoke. "Mr. Lawyer, though you were my comrade in the courtroom, in the ring, we are enemies!" He raised his hands up and brought them down like a hammer.

"Gah!" Apollo dodged out of the way. _Is it too late to start writing my will?_

Tenma continued to relentlessly pursue Apollo, as Athena yelled at him from the side. "Come on, Apollo! Give him a taste of those Chords of Steel!"

Apollo just narrowly dodged another of Tenma's attempts grab him. "Athena, no matter what Trucy's told you, my Chords of Steel training does not involve speaking the language of dragons! Whoa!" Apollo yelled as Tenma jumped from the ropes and nearly brought a kick down on him.

Athena laughed at his comment, and decided to run with it. "Unleash your Thu'um, Dovahkiin!"

"Now is not the time for jokes Athenaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Apollo chastised her as Tenma finally caught him.

The next few moments were a literal blur for Apollo as Tenma spun him around in the air. Apollo did the only thing he could think of.

"I'M APOLLO JUSTICE AND-"

Tenma released him.

"I'M NOT FIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!"

The last thing Apollo remembered before blacking out was a loud crash as he flew into the stands and Athena crying his name.


	4. Chapter 4: Evidence

**Author's note: Hey, remember when I said I' probably take a break before posting the next chapter? Well, turns out I'm a huge liar. This one is admittedly much more serious than the others, but I felt it was time to really focus on the romance aspect of the story. This chapter is also a bit shorter (and by a bit, I mean over 1,000 words fewer) than the last chapter, and the next one probably won't be much different. But, I really do think I'll take a day or two before I start on chapter 5. I thought I did a decent enough job writing Apollo and Athena, but I feel as if I'm not too in touch with Phoenix's character, so I need to play through a few cases and get a better understanding of him again.**

 **Anywhore, please enjoy this chapter, and remember, feedback is GREATLY appreciated.**

* * *

June 8  
5:11 PM  
Fey Manor

The doctor stepped out of Apollo's room and everyone looked at him. He put on a wide grin.

"Apollo will be perfectly fine."

Everyone let out a relived sigh.

Phoenix spoke up. "So, what's his condition?" He asked.

The doctor turned to Phoenix. "Well, he managed to get out of this without any broken bones, but has he some cuts and bruises. The worst of it is a dislocated left shoulder, which I've placed in a sling. He should be able to take it off in about four weeks. Until then, just make sure he doesn't do anything too strenuous with that arm."

Phoenix nodded. "Alright, thank you Doctor Crane."

The doctor smiled and took his leave, before stopping and talking to the group again. "Let him rest a few more hours." With that, he turned and left.

Maya sat on the floor, staring at the ground. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have signed you guys up."

Phoenix knelt down and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't blame yourself, Maya. None of us had any idea pro wrestlers could enter."

Maya looked at him, with tears in her eyes. "It doesn't matter, Nick! He's not a fighter and I put him out there!"

Phoenix pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back. "Maya, it won't do any good to just sit here and blame yourself. If you truly feel bad about this, just give him a few hours to rest, then apologize."

Athena broke into her conversation. "She's not the one who needs to apologize though!" Everyone turned to look at her. She grabbed her arm with her other hand and stared at the ground. "I shouldn't have been out there distracting him. And I shouldn't have tagged him in in the first place. Maya said it herself. He isn't a fighter." A tear began to slide own her cheek.

"Athena…" Phoenix said, but was cut off by a new voice.

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone turned in the direction of the voice to see Damien and Jinxie Tenma walking towards them.

"If anyone is to blame for this, it is me. I shouldn't have gone all out against someone I knew to be a rookie. I will gladly pay the boy's medical bills, but I feel I will never be able to truly forgive myself for hurting a friend." Mayor Tenma said.

Suddenly, a loud voice broke through Apollo's door, startling everyone. "WOULD YOU ALL STOP MOPING AND GET IN HERE!?"

"P-Polly!?" Trucy cried as she slid the door open. Sure enough, there sat Apollo, sitting up in bed, his left arm in a sling.

"Stop with the blame game, already! I don't blame any of you!" Apollo exclaimed at them all, as they slowly piled in.

"Maya, you were just trying to show us a good time on our vacation. Maybe you went a little far, but we DID tell you to surprise us." He told Maya, who wiped some of the tears from her eyes. "Apollo…"

"Athena, you were trying to cheer me on, and you tagged me in because I asked you to. I made the decision to step into that ring." A smile slowly began to creep up Athena's face.

"And Mayor Tenma, you were just doing what you do. Rookie or pro, you're a wrestler. You fight to win. No one can fault you for that." Mayor Tenma contemplated this, rubbing his jaw.

"Please, all of you, stop blaming yourselves. What happened, happened. My shoulder will heal, and so will my bruises."

Everyone stared dumbfounded at Apollo, who slid back down on his bed. Finally Mayor Tenma broke the silence.

"Yes, well, whether you forgive me or not, I will still be paying your medical bills. I could not sleep at night knowing I sat idly by as a friend suffered."

Apollo smiled at him. "Thank you, Mayor Tenma."

Tenma smiled back. "It is no trouble. Now, I am afraid I must take my leave. I must return to Tenma Town for an important meeting with the Alderman of Nine-Tails Vale." He turned to his daughter. "Jinxie, I believe you had a gift for the young man."

Apollo looked at Jinxie as she stepped forward, shyly. "Jinxie, please, no gi- GAH!" he cried as Jinxie placed a charm on his forehead. "How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not a demon!"

Jinxie flinched and hid behind a veil of charms before speaking. "T-that is not a demon warding charm. I-it is a healing charm. I hope it will make your recovery quicker."

Apollo pulled the charm off his forehead and looked at it before smiling. "Thank you, Jinxie. I'm sure it will help."

Jinxie smiled softly and wandered back over to her father as they took their leave.

"Hey, Mayor Tenma, wait! I have a question!" Apollo shouted.

Tenma turned back to look at him, with a questioning look on his face.

"How is it that none of us saw you in the locker room? Not to be rude, but you're kind of hard to miss."

The large man again rubbed his jaw. "Ah, that. Well, you see, it was not easy convincing the promoter to allow myself and Jinxie to participate. While you were all being told of the rules, Jinxie and I were in the promoter's office trying to convince him."

 _Just my luck_ , thought Apollo. Finally, Damien and Jinxie said their goodbyes and left.

Apollo looked around at everyone before speaking again. "Now, I believe the doctor said I needed some rest." The group took the hint and left… Save for Athena, who walked over to him.

"Apollo, I know you forgave me, but I still feel so bad, so I swear gonna make this up to you."

Apollo looked at her. "Athena, you don't have anyth-" She placed a finger on his lips, silencing him.

"I don't care what you think, Apollo. I'm going to make this up to you, and that's that!" She said she walked out of the room.

Apollo was finally left alone again. _If you really wanna make things up to me, just please return my feelings._

* * *

Everyone wandered around for a while, unsure of what to do. Maya sat on the coach in the living room, with Steel Samurai episodes playing on the television, though she didn't pay much attention.

Pearl and Trucy decided to help everyone out a bit and opted to cook dinner. Phoenix worried a bit, but knew Trucy knew how to work an oven.

Athena, however, had left the house, saying she needed to think. Phoenix decided to follow her.

He followed not far behind the girl as she wandered into the woods. She walked for several minutes before finally stopping dead in her tracks. "I know you're there, boss."

Phoenix stepped out and walked up to her. "I was wondering when you'd finally say something."

"What do you want, boss?' She asked, getting right to the point.

Phoenix sighed. "I'm worried about you. We all feel bad about what happened to Apollo, but you seem to be taking it pretty hard."

"Of course I'm taking it hard! It's my fault he got hurt!" Athena shouted at her boss.

Phoenix frowned at her, crossing his arms in front of him. "I figured you were still blaming yourself." The two kept walking further into the woods, following the trail closely.

"Because I'm the one at fault here. If I hadn't been out there cracking jokes, he could have focused long enough to get away."

"And how long would it have been before Mr. Tenma finally caught him? The man was after him relentlessly. Apollo could only evade for so long."

Athena stared at the ground, not caring what the man was saying.

"You're taking this harder because of your feelings, aren't you Athena."

Athena flinched and looked at her boss. "M-my feelings? What are you talking about?"

"You don't have to deny it. Maya told me."

Athena sighed. "She said she wouldn't tell anyone."

Phoenix smiled. "Well, I guess I don't fall into the category of _anyone_ _._ "

Athena stared at the ground, holing her arm. "Ok, yes. I feel horrible because I caused the man I care about to get hurt. Happy now?"

Phoenix put on a stoic face. "Of course I'm not happy. And I'm sure Apollo wouldn't be either if he saw you like this."

Athena continued to stare at the ground. "Like he'd care. He's probably so angry with me he can't stand be in the same room with me."

Phoenix shook his head at the girl as they reached the rest area and took a seat at the bench. "Athena, you would know better than anyone how he feels. When you spoke to him earlier, did you hear any anger in his voice?"

"Well, no, but-"

Phoenix interrupted her. "But nothing. Apollo's not the Phantom. He can't fake his emotions. Now, tell me, what DID you hear?"

Athena thought for a moment. "Well, nothing really of note. At least not until I put my finger to his lips to stop him from talking. At that point, I heard nervousness and happiness."

Phoenix smiled to himself. "Then I think it's safe to say he's not mad at you."

"I-I guess you're right, boss."

Phoenix stood up an offered her a hand. "C'mon, let's head back. Pearl and Trucy should have dinner ready by now.

Athena looked at him and smiled before taking his hand and climbing off the bench.

* * *

"Dinner is served, everyone!" cried Trucy as Athena and Phoenix walked back into the house. They headed to the kitchen, catching the scent of garlic in the air. As they entered the kitchen, they saw two large pans of lasagna and a few loaves of garlic bread.

"Wow, Trucy, I didn't realize you could cook THIS well." Phoenix said, grabbing a plate and taking his seat.

"That's because you're always eating fast food!" She scolded him.

Phoenix sighed. _She's not wrong._

Everyone began to pile in and fill up their plate. Eventually, Apollo made his way in, earning stares from the group.

"What? You guys look like you've seen a ghost." He said, smiling.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Phoenix said.

"It's 8 o'clock, Mr. Wright. Plus, I heard there was food." He said, using his good arm to fill up his plate.

"How are you feeling?" Athena asked as he took a seat next to her, causing her heart to flutter.

"A bit sore," he said, picking up his fork. "But everything's still working at least."

Athena smiled. "I'm just glad you came out of that with such minor injuries."

Apollo stuffed some lasagna in his mouth and chewed before replying. "Hey, you're talking to a guy who survived an exploding courtroom. You really think a pro wrestler can do any worse?"

Athena giggled at him making light of the situation and began to eat.

* * *

"Is everyone at the office a borderline four star chef or something!?" Cried Maya, as she polished off another plate of lasagna.

Trucy smiled. "Well I had to learn to cook since Daddy never does!" Everyone but Phoenix laughed.

"Hey, Athena?" Apollo said, looking at the redhead.

"Hm?" questioned Athena, turning her head to him.

"Could you come with me to our room?" _That still sounds so weird to say._ "I've got something I wanna talk to you about."

"What is it?" Athena asked, giving him a quizzical look.

Apollo thought for a moment before answering. "Well, let's just say there's a piece of evidence I'd like you to take a look at." _Holy crap, that sounded like I plan to show her my-_

"Evidence? Apollo, we're on vacation! You shouldn't be working!"

Apollo laughed. "Just c'mon." He said as he grabbed her hand and led her out of the kitchen, with Phoenix flashing him a thumbs up.

Apollo led Athena down the hall and to their room, where he asked her to take a seat on the bed.

"Alright so where's this evidence that you shouldn't have brought on vacation in the first place?"

 _She actually thinks this is a piece of evidence for a trial._ He thought to himself, grinning. "Just gimme a sec, I gotta dig it out." He said, kneeling down to rummage through his backpack. _I hope it hasn't been crushed._ He felt around for the flower, and finally clutched it, his heart beating faster in his chest. _Hopefully she doesn't bring that up._

"Apollo? Your heart rate just skyrocketed. Something wrong?"

Apollo stood up and hid the flower from her sight. "Uh, n-no. At least, I hope not."

Athena looked at him questioningly.

"Anyway, you remember last night, you asked me why I called Maya's sister to hook Mr. Wright and Maya up?"

"Well, yeah, but I don't know what that has to do with evi-"

"Just let me speak, Athena." He said, silencing her.

Athena quieted herself and listened.

"I told you I'd explain today and well…" He knew Athena's ears had to be picking up how nervous he was.

 _Why is he so nervous? It's just evidence._

Apollo took one last deep breath.  
 **TAKE THAT!**

Athena looked at what Apollo presented to her. It was… a Kurain lily.

"A-Apollo?"

Apollo could barely form a thought, but managed to speak. "Athena, since we've met, I've dealt with feelings for you I've never had to deal with. Faith, doubt… and something I still don't understand. All I understand is that when I'm around you, I'm happy. I could be looking down the business end of Blackquill's sword, but the second I look over and see you at my side, everything feels fine."

Athena slowly brought her hands to her face, holding her breath, as she listened to Apollo's confession.

"I honestly don't know what else to say, so I'll get right to the point. Athena, I like you. Not as a friend. As… More than a friend."

 _I bumped my head at some point, right? There's no way this is happening right now. No way is Apollo standing in front of me holding a flower that binds people's futures together, saying he likes me. No way._

Apollo waited for her to respond, but she said nothing. _Damn it. I should've known._

"I-it's alright if you don't feel the same. I understand." He said as he laid the flower on the bed and began to walk away.

"Apollo!"

Apollo turned around to face the girl, who suddenly embraced him. She bumped her chest against his arm, causing a small jolt of pain, which he ignored.

"I like you too, Apollo! Don't think for even a second that I don't!" She exclaimed, beginning to cry into his shoulder.

Apollo wrapped his good arm around the girl, returning the hug. "You do?"

In response, Athena pulled her face from his shoulder and looked him the eyes, then finally brought her lips to his. _I can't believe I'm doing this. I'm… kissing Apollo._

Apollo's eyes went wide in shock before he slowly closed them and began returning the kiss. Neither of them noticed, but Widget turned pink and put on a smile with heart eyes.

 _Today I've been forced into a wrestling ring with a former client, had charm after charm slapped on my head, and had my shoulder dislocated_ _,_ _yet… This is the best day of my life._

Their lips continued to move against each other'sbefore they finally had to break for air.

Breathing heavily, Athena spoke. "I like you, Apollo. A lot."

Apollo smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that, Athena."

Athena smiled and tapped on his chest, just above his heart. "I'd say I know exactly how happy you are."

He pulled her closer into another hug. They stood there for a moment, just enjoying each other's touch, before Athena finally spoke. "Apollo? I'm happy and everything, but I'm confused. What does this have to do with Mr. Wright and Maya?"

 _Oh yeah, I still need to explain that._ "Here, let's take a seat." He said, grabbing her hand and leading her to the bed. Athena took a seat, an picked up her flower, looking over it as she waited for Apollo to begin.

Once seated, Apollo told her everything. About how Phoenix had asked him what was bothering him the day before, how he gave him permission to date his co-worker, how he'd forced them to be alone in the woods.

"Oh my God. So the boss knows I slept in your bed that night?"

"Y-yeah. I kinda had to tell someone. Sorry."

She glared at him, before her smile returned. "It's fine. It's a lot less embarrassing now that we're together."

 _Together?_ Thought Apollo. _Wow, I guess we kinda are. Huh._

"So, what's the plan then, Apollo?" Athena asked.

"Plan? What plan?"

"Duh, the plan to get Mr. Wright and Maya together! He pushed us together, now we gotta push back." She said, punching her fist into her palm.

"Oh right, that plan. Well, I hadn't planned on being able to give Mr. Wright a note from his dead mentor. Hmmmm…" Apollo began to think hard. "Honestly, I'm not too sure what would work. I'm sure that note Mia gave us told him that she approved of them, but he definitely needs something to really push him to say something."

Athena thought for a moment. "Damn it, if only they'd lost their match today."

"Huh, whaddya mean?" Asked Apollo.

"Well… Maya and I made a bet earlier. Whoever lost in the tournament today had to confess to their crush." She leaned into him and smiled. "Obviously I don't need to do that now."

Apollo smiled back.

They both racked their brains for something, ANYTHING that could push those two together.

Athena sighed. "I'm stumped. We may need to call in some outside help."

"Outside help?"

"Pearls and Trucy. Those two are good at pulling people's strings. Plus, they both wanna see those two together too."

Apollo thought it over, and glanced at his watch. 10:23 PM.

"We can talk to them tomorrow. It's kinda late. We should get some sleep."

Athena glanced at her watch as well, shocked to see the time. "Wow, you're right." She looked at the ground. "Um, Apollo?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"Well, since we're kind of, y'know, dating now I was wondering if I could…"

 _Is she about to ask to-_

"Sleep in your bed tonight. With you." Athena blurted out.

Apollo was shocked for a moment, but smiled at her. "If you want to, Athena, I won't stop you."

She smiled and gave him a quick kiss before standing up and turning off the light in the room. Apollo began to settle into bed as she walked back over and laid down with him, cuddling close to him, but being careful not to crush his bad arm. She sighed contentedly. "Good night, Apollo."

Apollo gave her a soft kiss. "Good night, Athena."

With that, the two of them rifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

 **Hey, I've been making Apollo the victim through the whole story, I think it's time he got something good for once.**


	5. Chapter 5: Memories

**Author's note: I'm gonna say it right now, this chapter was a bit of a mess as I wrote it. I have plans for how to continue the story, but this was basically a bridge chapter leading to the events of the rest of the story. Wanna know how messy this got? At one point I had the group playing Dungeons & Dragons, which, even though I have a Starter Set for, I have never played. I do feel as if the Gatewater Land flashback was pretty good, but the second half was so hard to fill up. Hopefully the rest of the chapters come out better. And if you love the story, be sure to leave some feedback! It's always appreciated.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the games mentioned in this chapter. Nor would I want to. Uno destroys lives. I don't wanna be the cause of that.**

* * *

June 9  
12:23 AM  
Fey Manor

Phoenix laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling, unable to sleep. He had two things on his mind keeping him awake. The first thing was a certain horned employee of his.

 _Poor Apollo. The more I'm around that kid, the more it seems like he's just a born victim._

The other was a piece of paper that had been at the forefront of his mind all day. He reached over and pulled Mia's letter out of his end table and read over it again.

 _Phoenix,_  
 _I approve. Just take care of her._  
 _-Mia_

Phoenix sighed, running a hand through his hair. _So Mia approves. Nothing stopping me from telling her, I guess… Except my own nerves._

Phoenix thought back to when he'd first met Maya. At the time, he'd definitely found her cute. It wasn't until after she'd returned to the village after the DL-6 case that he'd realized his feelings. Feelings he'd kept inside for ten years at this point.

 _Yeah, I'm sure that conversation would pan out great. "Hey Maya, I just wanted to tell you I've been in love with you for the past 10 years and I never told you because I thought your sister wouldn't approve." She'd probably Samurai Slap me into next week._

The lawyer groaned and buried his face in his pillow. _These next four days are gonna be rough._

* * *

Maya sat in her bed, thinking to herself as she had all week. She fumbled with the Master's Talisman around her neck.

 _Who would have guessed this week would turn out so crazy? Day one, Athena basically tells me that Nick loves me back, and I can't even bring myself to talk to him about it. And now I got Apollo launched through the air by a professional wrestler._

She sighed and opened her Talisman, removing the photo inside. She smiled as she stared at it. It was a photo of herself, Pearl, and Phoenix, taken on the day they went to Gatewater Land years ago. In the photo, Maya was giving Phoenix a kiss on the cheek, who was blushing madly, while Pearl was in the corner of the shot, gushing at the two. She remembered that day as if it had just happened.

* * *

"Gatewater Land!? Really, Nick?!" Maya cried.

It had been a little over a month since the events at Hazakura temple. Phoenix had been fairly busy, working on several cases. No murder cases, for once, but they had all been pretty time-consuming, draining away what precious time he could spend with Maya, full well knowing she would soon have to leave for Kurain Village to fulfill her role as the Master. Finally, he had a day where there were no investigations, no trials, and no papers to fill out.

Phoenix smiled at his friend. "Yeah. I've been too busy to spend time with you and Pearls lately, so now that I have a free day, I thought we could spend it together."

Maya bounced on her toes, too excited to contain herself. "Nick, you are the absolute best!" She cried as she rushed over and gave the lawyer a hug.

Phoenix chuckled and hugged her back. "I know I am. Now, c'mon, go get Pearls and let's get moving!"

Maya did as she was told, and soon, the trio was in a cab, on their way to the park.

"You're gonna love it, Pearly! They have rides and food stalls and it's just the best place in the world!"

Phoenix smiled as he listened to his assistant try to explain the concept of a roller coaster to her younger cousin.

 _She needs this. I haven't been around for her lately, and barely a month ago, her aunt tried to have her killed, and she lost her mother, who she hadn't seen in years._

Finally the cab pulled up to the park. Maya and Pearl jumped out of the cab, and rushed towards the ticket booth. Phoenix smiled at them and paid the cabbie.

"C'mon, Nick, times a-wastin'!" Maya cried at him as he strode up to the ticket booth.

"Keep your robes on, Maya. The park isn't going anywhere." Phoenix paid for the tickets and they stepped into the park.

"Wow! There's so many people here, Mr. Nick!" Cried Pearl as she strode into the park.

Maya and Phoenix smiled at the girl, the look on her face making the trip worth it.

"Alright, Maya, you're making the decisions from here on." Phoenix said, handing her a map of the park. "Where to first?"

Maya looked over the map for a moment before her eyes lit up and she shoved the map in Phoenix's face, pointing at a location. "Here!"

Phoenix looked at the location she was pointing at.

"Bad Badger's Burger Bar?" The lawyer asked, sighing as he felt his wallet becoming lighter.

Over the next few hours, the trio went on several rides, (having to console Pearl after taking her on her first coaster, only for her to beg to go again) pigged out on junk food, and played several games. (Turns out Maya is a Whack-a-Mole champion)

Before long, the three began to tire themselves out, all of them about ready to leave, when Maya noticed one last attraction on the map she wanted to try.

"Nick." She said, pulling on the man's sleeve. "Before we leave, I wanna go on this."

Phoenix looked at the map again, seeing that she was talking about the row boat attraction.

"Remember, you promised me a long time ago you'd take me out on a row boat."

Phoenix thought for a moment. "Oh yeah, I guess I did. Alright, let's go."

They made their way to the attraction and waited about thirty minutes before they could rent their own boat.

Maya sighed. "This is nice. It's so relaxing out here." She said as she dipped her hand into the water.

"And it's so romantic too, isn't it, Mystic Maya!?"

Maya ignored the girl as a blush stained her cheeks. Then, an idea struck her. _I have to leave soon. It may be months before I see Nick again. If I can't bring myself to tell him how I feel, then I'm at least going to make a memory I can always keep with me._

"Nick, Pearly, we need to get a picture out here!"

"Here? Why here? We could have used one of the photo booths in the park."

"Because I said so, Nick! You said I was making the decisions, and I decided we need a picture out here!"

The spiky-haired lawyer sighed and stopped rowing. "Alright, c'mon, let's make this quick."

With that, the two spirit mediums crowded around the man as Maya took out her camera.

"Everyone smile!" Maya said. Everyone did so, but before she pushed the button on the camera, she turned towards Phoenix and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Wha-"

FLASH

* * *

Maya continued to stare at the photo, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. _I thought this picture would be enough. How could I have been so stupid? The only thing that will ever be enough…_

A tear slid off her cheek and landed on the picture.

… _Is him._

She sobbed softly, clutching the picture to her chest, before she finally cried herself to sleep.

* * *

June 9  
9:37 AM  
Fey Manor

Maya awoke, still clutching the photo, but decided it was time to get up and moving after seeing the time. She slid the picture back into her Talisman and wandered, hearing the pitter patter of rain outside, to the kitchen, expecting to see one person or another cooking breakfast, shocked to find she was the first person awake. _That's definitely not what I expected._ She thought as she began to make the coffee.

 _Hmmm, everyone else has cooked so far this week. Guess it's my turn._

She walked over to the fridge and pulled out eggs, bacon, and sausage as she decided on omelets.

As she cooked, she began to hum the Steel Samurai theme to herself.

Once she finished cooking everyone's omelet, (three for herself) she decided to go wake everyone up individually. Starting with Apollo and Athena.

The spirit medium knocked on the room of the two attorneys, but received no answer.

"Apollo? Athena?" She asked as she slid the door open. "Breakfast is ready! I made-" The girl cut herself off as she looked into the room. Still asleep, the two lawyers laid on the bed, cuddled closely together. Maya silently made her way out of the room.

 _I guess Athena kept up her end of that bet._ She thought, leaning against the wall. She could feel jealousy in the pit of her stomach as she imagined the same scene, but with her and Phoenix.

 _Stop it, Maya. Grow up and be happy for them._ She chastised herself, but continued to feel jealous of her friends having found each other.

The young medium kept imagining being held by Phoenix as she wandered down the hall to Pearl and Trucy's room. This time, when she knocked, Pearl slid the door open.

"Oh, morning, Mystic Maya." The girl said sleepily rubbing her eye.

"Morning Pearly. I can see you're still tired, but I made omelets. Get Trucy up and get at 'em before they get cold." She said, smiling at the girl.

Pearl yawned. "M'kay, Mystic Maya." She said as she slid the door closed.

 _I won't see them for another hour, will I?_ She thought as she walked to Phoenix's room.

She again knocked on the door and received no answer. _What a lazy old bum._

She slid the door open. "Nick? Breakfast is ready!" She said, stepping into the room. She looked at the man, who had his head buried face first into his pillow. _Not much of an elegant sleeper. But not a spike out of place, either._

It was then that Maya noticed something lying next to Phoenix's hand. A piece of paper. Maya, her curiosity piqued, grabbed it and looked at its contents.

And gasped when she saw what it said.

 _Phoenix,_  
 _I approve. Just take care of her._  
 _-Mia_

"Sis?" She said to herself. The girl then heard Phoenix beginning to stir. She quickly folded the note up and stuck it in her pocket.

Phoenix lifted himself off the bed and turned over, yawning. He then noticed Maya in his room.

"Maya? What are you doing in here?" He asked, sitting up in his bed.

"Oh, uh…" _Crap, what DID I come in here for again? Um it was… It was_ _..._ _OH!_

"Um, uh, breakfast! Yeah, breakfast! I made breakfast!" She yelled, feeling her cheeks grow hot.

Phoenix was still half asleep and paid no mind to her stuttering. "Oh, really, huh? Well, thanks for letting me know. I'll be there in a minute." He said as we wandered over to the bathroom connected to his room.

Maya exhaled the breath she was holding. _Holy crap that could have gotten weird._

Maya then made her way back to the kitchen to deal with her emotions the best way she knew how. By stuffing her face.

Shortly after she made it back to the kitchen, Trucy and Pearl walked in and grabbed some juice before digging in.

Maya was already on her second omelet when Phoenix made his appearance, hair wet and still in his pajamas. _Damn it, Nick. How do you manage to look so good, even in the morning!?_

He poured himself some coffee and took a seat next to her, causing her breathe to catch in her throat.

Nick didn't notice and began to eat as he took out his puzzle book and started on a Sudoku.

 _I've really gotta calm down. If Athena's right, then he loves me too, so I just need to talk to him, right? …Damn it, I need to talk to Pearly or Athena about this._

Finally, Apollo and Athena walked into the kitchen, appearing to be the most alert of them all.

"Morning everyone!" Cried Athena.

Everyone else barely groaned a reply as Apollo smiled on at his girlfriend.

Breakfast was mostly eaten in silence, with Apollo and Athena speaking to each other.

Finally, Maya finished her last omelet and looked around at everyone. They all seemed more awake at last.

"So, what do you guys wanna do today?" She asked.

Everyone looked at her as if she'd just grown a second head.

"Uh, Maya, I think after yesterday, Apollo's not the only one who needs some rest." Phoenix finally said.

"Not to mention, it's raining outside." Athena said, pointing at the window over the sink.

Maya glanced out the window. She'd heard the rain coming down, but didn't realize how hard it was pouring.

"Oh, well, I guess you're right. Hmmmm…" she put a finger to her face, thinking. "I suppose we could all just make it a lazy day and play some games here or something."

"Anything but Monopoly. Trucy has a habit of making the bank's money disappear." Phoenix said, laughing. Shockingly, Trucy made no move to defend herself.

"And Clue would probably get so loud that we'd get complaints from the rest of the villagers." Apollo added. Again, no one disagreed.

"Hmmm, well, why don't you guys go sit in the living room and I'll go see what we have." Maya said as she headed off to her room.

The others all put their dishes away and headed for the living room. It was then that Phoenix, Pearl, and Trucy noticed something about Athena and Apollo. The two were walking at the front of the group, holding hands.

Trucy gasped. "Polly, Athena, are you guys… dating now!?"

Apollo turned to look at them. "Uh, yeah. I guess we kinda are."

"KINDA are?" Athena said, glaring at him.

Apollo flinched. "Uh, I mean, yeah! We're totally together. Declared our undying love for each other and everything!"

Athena smiled. "There, that's better."

"Gah! You two are ruining my life!" She said as she handed a ten dollar bill to Pearl.

"What were you betting on this time?" Athena asked.

"She said you guys would get together by the end of the week. I think she's rigging things in her favor."

Pearl put her hands to her face, gushing. "Why are you getting mad, Miss Trucy? They're such a cute couple! Almost as cute as Mystic Maya and Mr. Nick!"

Phoenix blushed at this but kept walking towards the living room.

Phoenix, Apollo, and Athena sat on the couch while Pearl and Trucy sat in the recliners. Finally, Maya made her way into the room, carrying a stack of board games.

"Mystic Maya, guess what!"

"Scientists have finally found a way to grow burgers from the ground?" Maya guessed jokingly.

Pearl laughed. "No. Mr. Polly and Miss Thena are dating!"

Maya again felt a pang of jealousy as she remembered what she'd seen earlier. "Oh, is that so?" She asked looking at the two.

"Yep. Apollo here finally gave into my charms!" Athena said happily. "Isn't that right, _sweetie?"_ She said, putting unnecessary emphasis on the word "sweetie."

Apollo laughed. "Yeah, something like that."

Maya finally sat down next to Phoenix on the couch and spread out the board games on the coffee table. Pearl and Trucy pushed their recliners closer to the table.

"Well guys, these are all the games I could find. Take your pick."

The group looked over their choices. Among the games were Operation, Mouse Trap, Scrabble, Sorry!, Uno, and Yahtzee.

Everyone debated for a bit before finally settling on playing Uno for a while.

* * *

"Oh c'mon, Apollo! That's the third time you've skipped me!" Cried Athena as Maya took her turn, laying down a green four.

Apollo laughed at her. "Hey, you're the one who made it green!"

"As if I could have known all you had in your hand was green skips!"

"You glance at my hand every time I blink!"

"I do not!"

 **BADUMP** "Huh, isn't that weird? My bracelet just reacted."

Everyone laughed as Athena realized she'd been caught.

"Geez, Polly. You're being pretty mean to your own girlfriend." Trucy said as her turn came around and she laid down a Wild Draw Four. "Red."

"Hey, just because she's my girlfriend doesn't mean she gets away with looking at my cards." Apollo said as he drew four cards from the deck. "Alright, _sweetie,_ it's your turn now."

Maya felt slightly sick when he said "sweetie."

"Hmmmmm, I think I'll be nice to you here." Athena said as she laid down a red reverse card.

"Aw, look at that, Athena's the nice one in the relationship. And here I was thinking she'd dislocate Apollo's other shoulder." Phoenix joked, earning laughs from everyone.

"Nah, I don't think even she can bring herself to hurt an injured man." Apollo said, laying down a red skip.

"Dang it, Polly. Is your whole hand nothing but Skips?"

Athena herself stayed quiet, but Widget chimed in. Yep! Be Afraid!

"Widget, shut up!" Athena cried, trying to silence the little AI as everyone laughed at her.

Pearl seemed to be taking her sweet time before finally picking a card. "Sorry, Mr. Nick." She said as she laid down a red skip.

"Ah, you probably just did me a favor, Pearls." He said, looking own at his hand of nearly 20 cards, none of which he could play.

"Geez, Nick, I thought you were supposed to be good at cards." Maya said as she laid down a red Reverse card.

Phoenix began to sweat. "Why do you hate me so much, Maya?" Everyone laughed again… Except Maya, who stood up and yelled.

"I do NOT hate you, Nick. Don't EVER say something like that again."

Everyone stared at Maya, confused, as she blushed and took her seat again. She cleared her throat. "Um, hehe, sorry. Don't know where that came from."

 _What in the world was that?_ Phoenix thought as he began to draw cards, finally playing a red seven.

* * *

The torturous game dragged on for a few hours before Trucy finally won. Phoenix came dead last.

As Maya began to pack away the cards, Apollo and Athena turned to Trucy and Pearl.

"Truce, Pearls, could you guys come with us for a bit? We wanna talk to you about something." Apollo said.

"Hm? What about, Mr. Polly?"

"Uh, we'd rather talk about it in private."

Maya overheard their conversation. _They're up to something. I just know it._

Athena, Apollo, Trucy, and Pearl then walked down the hall towards Athena and Apollo's room. After they entered, Apollo slid the door shut.

"So, what'd you guys wanna talk about?" Trucy asked, getting straight to the point.

"Well…" Athena began, not sure what to say.

"We need your help." Apollo said. He then sat down and began to explain everything to them.

"Wait, so you need our help to get my daddy and Maya together?" Trucy asked.

"Oh! Is that why you wanted to talk to Mystic Mia the other day?"

Apollo nodded. "Admittedly at the time, I wasn't expecting to hear from a dead woman, but I got the same end result. Getting rid of Mr. Wright's doubts about her approval."

"So, do you guys have any ideas?" Athena asked.

Trucy looked off into the distance, thinking while Pearl chewed on her thumb.

"Um, well, I might have an idea." Pearl spoke up.

"What is it, Pearls?" Asked Apollo.

"Well, Mystic Maya's Talisman. The Master is supposed to keep something related to the most important thing to them inside of it. So they can always keep it close to their heart. I know what's inside of it. It's a picture of her and Mr. Nick. I'm in it too, but just barely."

 **Master's Talisman data jotted down in the court record.**

"Aw, that is so cute!" Athena said, smiling, while stroking her ponytail.

"So, what's your idea then?" Apollo questioned.

"If we can get Mystic Maya to show Mr. Nick what's inside, then they'll have to tell each other their feelings!" She exclaimed, practically bouncing at the idea of Phoenix and Maya getting together.

"Hmmmm, you may be right. It may be worth a shot. But how do we go about it?"

"I'm not really sure. We can't take it from her either because the Master is-"

"Ugh, this is driving me crazy! Maya, stop eavesdropping and get in here!" Athena cried.

A sound was heard from the other side of the door before it slid open, revealing Maya.

"Seriously, why does everyone think they can hide from me? I can hear HEARTBEATS."

Everyone stared at Maya silently before Apollo finally spoke up. "So, I guess you heard everything, huh?"

Maya nodded.

"Then why don't you make our job easier and go talk to him!?" Athena exclaimed.

"Guys, it's… It's not that easy. Yes, I love him, but I've never even had a boyfriend before. What if I confess to him and he doesn't feel the same?"

"He DOES feel the same, Mystic Maya! I know it!"

"Yeah, I already told you the other day, he has discord in his voice every time he talks about you."

Maya looked at the ground. "And what if that discord isn't hiding that he loves me? What if it's not what you think?"

Apollo chimed in. "What about what he told me? He straight forward told me he cared about you."

"Yeah, he told YOU. I wasn't there. How do I know he actually said that? And if he did, how do I know he wasn't just saying it?"

Apollo looked at the girl, speechless.

"So you want evidence." Athena said. Apollo turned to her.

"Athena?"

"The more you talk about this, the more it just sounds like you want hard evidence of Mr. Wright's feelings. You see this as an investigation."

Maya thought for a moment. "Yes. I want evidence. It's just like Nick always says. Evidence is everything. If he won't confess, then I won't either unless I have solid evidence of his feelings."

"Maya, that's stupid." Athena walked over to the end table by Apollo's be and picked something up. "Look at this."

Maya did as she was told, and looked up to see her holding a Kurain lily in her hands.

"That's…"

"A Kurain lily. Pearls told us about the story behind it. And last night, Apollo gave this to me and told me how much he cared about me." She blushed, remembering Apollo's words the night before. "He didn't have any evidence that I returned his feelings. He took a shot in the dark." She walked over and took her boyfriend's hand, smiling. "And look how it turned out."

Apollo smiled at the girl clutching his hand.

"Guys… I-I get what you're saying, but it's so hard for me to work up the courage. Anytime I think about telling him, I freeze up and can barely talk." She said as she leaned against a wall and slid down it. "I'm just not as strong as you, Apollo."

Athena knelt down and put a hand on Maya's shoulder. "Then let me help you."

Maya looked up at the redhead. "Help me? How?"

"Let me, Pearls, and Trucy try to help you work up the nerve to tell him. Apollo can try to talk him into doing the same thing."

"Really? You guys would do that?" Maya asked, looking at everyone, who smiled back at her.

"Mystic Maya, I've known you loved him for years. And I'm certain he loves you too!"

"Daddy hasn't even dated anyone since he adopted me, and I want a new mommy!"

"Considering Mr. Wright pushed me and Athena together, the least I can do is return the favor."

Maya continued to stare at everyone in the room. Finally, she spoke. "O-ok. I'll accept your help. But if he won't confess to me, I still want proof before I do anything."

"Alright, Maya." Athena said, holding out her hand. "If we can't get Mr. Wright to tell you how he feels, we'll find evidence to prove it. Deal?"

Maya looked at Athena's hand, then finally took it and shook. "Deal."


	6. Chapter 6: Investigation

**Author's note: I know this one seems all over the place, which it is, but we're finally heading towards the big part. Also, just for the record, Blackquill will NOT be going after Apollo in this story. That will be a story for another day. I also gotta say I'm kinda proud of myself for that Japan joke.**

 **Now, without further ado, chapter 6!**

* * *

June 10  
9:42 AM  
Fey Manor

"Oh come on, this isn't even enough for me, let alone anyone else!" Maya cried.

Her yelling woke everyone else in the house, who mostly ignored her and went back to sleep. But Phoenix didn't. His curiosity was piqued, and he made his way to the kitchen.

"Maya? What's wrong?" He asked as he looked on the girl digging through the fridge.

"What's wrong? What's wrong!? We don't have enough food, that's what's wrong!" Maya exclaimed.

 _Ah, that explains everything._ He thought to himself.

"Are you sure we're out? It looks like you have cereal up there." He said, pointing to the top of the fridge.

Maya sighed. "We do, but you know how I eat. That's a snack to me."

 _Well, you got me there._

Phoenix thought for a moment before he spoke. "Maya, go get dressed. I'll go with you to get groceries."

"Oh, Nick, you don't have to do that. I can go myself."

"You could, but we came here on vacation to spend time with our friends. So I'm coming with." He explained.

Maya smiled. "Alright, if you insist, Nick. You go get dressed and I'll leave everyone a note explaining where we are."

Phoenix did as he was told and went to his room to change into his casual clothes. Although, he couldn't find the pendant he always wore, whether around his neck, or in his suit pocket. _It must have fallen on the floor._ He began to get on his knees to search for it, when he heard Maya from next door.

"Nick! I'm ready to go! Hurry up!"

Phoenix sighed. _I guess one day without it won't kill me._ He thought as he climbed to his feet and headed out of his room to meet Maya.

"Alright, so where do you usually go to get groceries?"

"The next town over. It's about a thirty minute train ride, but the return train doesn't arrive until 1 PM."

The lawyer sighed. "Well, I guess it can't be helped."

Maya giggled at the man. "Oh come on, Nick. It'll be nice." She said as they began to head towards the train station. "We haven't gone shopping together in forever."

 _Don't remind me, my wallet is still recovering from your last shopping spree._

* * *

Another hour passed before Apollo finally stirred, opening his eyes to see Athena sleeping peacefully next to him. He smiled to himself. _I could get used to this._

He carefully sat up so as not to wake the girl and made his way to the bathroom to take his pain meds and get a shower.

When he stepped back out of the bathroom, he saw Athena was still asleep and decided to leave her be as he went to get some breakfast. But, when he got to the kitchen, he found a note on the counter. He opened it up and read its contents.

 _Everyone,_  
 _Nick and I went to the next town over to get groceries. Will be back around 2. There's cereal and milk for breakfast. Try to be fair._

 _-Maya_

 _So it's just me and the girls, huh?_ Apollo thought as he reached on top of the fridge to grab a box of Spirit Loops. _I really hope these don't turn out to be haunted Fruit Loops._ He poured himself a bowl and sat at the table to eat his breakfast.

 _Y'know, since Mr. Wright's gone, it may be a good chance to look through his room, see if we can find that evidence Maya wants._ He thought as he put a spoonful of cereal in his mouth. _Though, I'll admit I'd feel weird going through his stuff._

Athena then made her way into the kitchen, looking very tired. "Morning, Apollo."

He glanced over his shoulder at the girl. "Oh, morning, Athena. If you were hoping for a hot breakfast, you're outta luck. Maya and Mr. Wright went to get groceries, so you're gonna have to make do with cereal."

Athena groaned. "Coffee. Need coffee." She said as she walked like a zombie to the cabinet and began brewing some coffee.

Apollo almost felt bad for the girl. But then again, she was the one who stayed up late playing board games with everyone else after he went to bed.

Athena sat at the table and laid her head on it. "Ugh, Apollo, why did you let me do this to myself?"

Apollo swallowed another bite of cereal. "Hey, just cause I'm your boyfriend doesn't mean I'm always gonna be your voice of reason."

She reached a hand up and smacked him on his good arm. He smiled and continued to eat his breakfast when Pearl and Trucy came out of their room, both with the same tired expression. Apollo decided to let them read the note for themselves. They did so, and as they did, the coffee maker buzzed, indicating the coffee was ready.

"Oh, thank God, coffee." Trucy cried out as she went to the cabinet to get a mug.

"Hey, back off!" Athena cried as she reached the cabinet first, nearly knocking Trucy. "I made it, so I got first cup!" She snapped.

 _Yikes, note to self: Always keep coffee at the ready around Athena._

Athena poured herself some coffee and cereal and sat back down next to Apollo. She took one long gulp of her coffee before speaking again. "Oh, sweet nectar of the Gods."

Apollo decided to remain quite until the girls had woken themselves up, not wanting to rattle the tiger's cage.

30 minutes passed in silence before any of the girls finally spoke.

"Ok, so since Maya and the boss are out for a while, that gives us a chance to investigate and find that oh so important evidence for Maya." Athena said, having swallowed the last of her coffee.

"I was actually thinking that earlier, myself. Though, I'm not sure I'd be comfortable snooping around Mr. Wright's room."

"Then let me and Pearls look." Said Trucy. "I'm his daughter and Pearls has known him for years."

Apollo thought for a moment. "I think that sounds reasonable. You guys can look around and show us anything you think may be of help."

"What will you and Miss Thena do, Mr. Polly?"

The horned attorney put his finger to his forehead, thinking. "Well, I could try thinking of what I'm gonna say to Mr. Wright to convince him to talk to Maya. What about you, Athena?"

"Me? I actually have a call I need to make. But afterwards I could come up with what I'm going to say to Maya."

"A call?" Apollo question. "To who?"

"Oh, no one important. Don't worry about it Apollo."

 _Why do I feel like I should worry?_

Pearl stood up and slammed her hands on the table, giving everyone a jump.

"Alright, team, we have our assignments! Let's get to it!" She said as she bolted out of the room.

Trucy looked shocked as she chased after the girl. "Pearls, wait up!"

Athena gathered up the dishes as Apollo headed to their room to write up ideas in his notepad. When Athena was finished cleaning, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number from her contacts.

It took three rings before she got an answer. "Hello?"

"Simon? Good morning! It's me, Athena!"

* * *

The train finally arrived at Oni Town, where Phoenix and Maya stepped off.

"Oni Town, huh? And I thought Tenma Town had a creepy namesake." Phoenix said.

"Yeah, the town's pretty old and has a lot of occult stuff in its history, but it's a nice quiet place." Maya explained.

"Well, what's there to do here for a few hours? It'd be pointless to get our groceries and sit at the train station for 3 hours."

Maya put a finger to her face, thinking for a moment. "Well, there's not much, but there IS a small café just a couple blocks from here."

"Hey, that sounds pretty good, actually. Considering we skipped out on breakfast."

As if on cue, Maya's stomach growled.

Phoenix laughed. "C'mon, lead the way. My treat."

Maya smiled and showed Phoenix to the café, named Azukiarai Café.

"Ah-zu-key-are-eye? What in the world is that?"

Maya giggle as they stepped inside. "I'm not a hundred percent on that myself. I think I heard someone say something about it being a bean washing demon, or something like that."

Phoenix sighed. "With all this talk of demons and such we hear around here, you'd think we live in Japan."

Maya laughed at him. "Nick, that's just silly." She said as she stepped up to the counter. "Konichiwa." The barista said, bowing. "Welcome to Azukiarai Café. What would you like?"

"Hmmm, I'll have a hot mocha, and two red bean buns. Plus, whatever he's having." Said Maya, pointing to Phoenix.

"Make that two mochas and three buns." Phoenix said, reaching for his wallet.

Soon, the two found a seat and sat to enjoy their breakfast.

Phoenix took a sip. "Wow, this is really good."

"I know right?" Maya said, her mouth already full.

Phoenix laughed at her. "Boy, after all these years, you'd think you' learn to chew your food before speaking."

Maya took another bite of her bun. "More efficient this way, Nick."

Phoenix shook his head, smiling. _It's moments like this that make me realize why I love this girl._

"So," said Maya, her mouth now empty. "What do you think Apollo and the girls are doing?"

Phoenix took another sip of his mocha. "Please, I doubt the girls are even up."

* * *

"You find anything, Pearls?" Trucy asked her friend as she dug through her father's belongings.

"Nothing yet, Miss Trucy." Pearls replied as she looked through Phoenix's end table. She then noticed something on the floor and bent down to pick it up. "Miss Trucy! Come look at this!"

Trucy walked over to see what Pearl had found. "Oh, that's Daddy's locket. It's just a picture of me in there."

Despite what Trucy said, Pearls opened the locket. Sure enough, inside was a picture of Trucy.

"Hey, wait a second. There's something underneath my picture." She said, taking up the locket and opening the picture slot.

What they found underneath made both girls gasp.

"This is…"

"It's just like the picture in Mystic Maya's Talisman!" Pearl exclaimed.

Just as she'd said, in Trucy's hand was a miniature version of the photo taken at Gatewater Land all those years ago. Although, Pearl had been cut out of the shot to make the picture fit into the locket.

"This is it, Pearls! This is the proof we need!" Trucy exclaimed.

* * *

"Oh, Cykes-dono. Good morning. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Athena sighed into the phone. "Enough with the Cykes-dono crap, Simon. Call me Athena. And I just wanted to talk to you. It's been too long!"

"Ah, you are right. Nearly two months since we last did battle, was it not?"

"Yep, during the Tiff Fendant trial. But how have you been, Simon?"

"I've been doing well, Cykes-do- er, Athena. However, readjusting to society is still proving rather difficult. It seems the populace still views me with fear."

Athena giggled. "Probably because you insist on carrying a sword with you everywhere you go. Plus, a lot of people are probably afraid of Taka, too."

"Hmph, they would have nothing to fear from my feathered companion if they would simply pay him the respect he deserves."

The two chatted back and forth for a bit about nothing in particular.

"Ah, dang it. Hey, Simon, my phone's battery is dying. I'll have to get off here and call you another time."

"Very well, Cy- Athena. It has been nice hearing from you again."

"Oh! Before I forget, there was one last thing I wanted to tell you about."

"Hm? What is it, Athena?"

"Well, you know Apollo?" Athena asked.

"Justice-dono? Yes, I remember him. Why do you ask?"

"Well, he and I are dating now!" Athena exclaimed.

There was silence on the other end for a moment before Blackquill replied. "Is that so, Athena? Well, I hope he makes you happy."

Athena smiled. "He does. He really does." Her phone began to beep at her, indicating its low battery. "Gah, piece of crap. I gotta go, Simon. I'll be sure to visit when we get back from vacation!"

"Very well, Athena. I look forward to your visit." The two hung up their phones and ended the conversation.

"So, you wish to be the Athena's lover, Justice-dono?" Simon said to himself as he sat at his office desk. "Then you will have to prove yourself worthy to me." He again said to himself as he took out a whetstone and began to sharpen his katana.

* * *

Phoenix took one last sip of his now cold mocha. "What time is it now, Maya?"

"Maya checked her phone. "11:30." She said, standing up. "We should get moving so we don't miss the train." She downed the last of her mocha and the two headed out the door and towards the market.

"Yokai Mart?" Phoenix said exasperatedly "These guys are just taking this demon thing and running it into the ground."

"Oh be quiet, Nick. It won't hurt you to take in another town's cultures." Maya said as she grabbed a cart.

The two chatted as they wandered through the store, all the while, Maya's thoughts kept drifting to her companion. _So, if everything goes according to Apollo and girls' plan, Nick and I will be together before they leave in three days. Am… am I even ready? Ugh, Maya, of course you are! You're 27! You're ready to have a boyfriend!_

Phoenix noticed her spacing out. _She seems pretty distracted. I wonder what's going through her mind._ "Hey, Maya." He said as he put a hand on the girl's shoulder, causing her to jump.

"Ah! N-Nick, you scared me!"

Phoenix flinched a moment before speaking. "Sorry, I was just wondering if you were ok. You seem distracted."

"Oh, uh, I'm fine, Nick. Just trying to, uh, remember everything we need."

 _Man she's a bad liar. But I don't see any reason to press her on it. Her thoughts are her own._

"Well, do we almost have everything? Train arrives in 40 minutes."

"Hmmm," she thought for a moment, this time REALLY considering her mental shopping list. "Milk an orange juice and I think we'll be done."

As they wandered to the dairy section, they passed by the soda aisle, where Phoenix ran in quickly before returning with two bottles of grape juice.

Maya sighed. "You're the worst drunk I've ever met, Nick. Just start drinking wine already!"

Phoenix stuck the bottles in the cart. "What, and become as boring as Edgeworth?"

The two finally reached the dairy section. "Speaking of Edgeworth, didn't you tell me he started wearing glasses?"

"Yep," Phoenix said as he stuck a two gallons of milk in the cart for her. "I honestly think they're just for fashion's sake. He didn't seem to have any trouble seeing during the UR-1 retrial."

Maya giggled. "Well, that sounds like him. I wonder what he's up to right now."

"Oh, probably the usual. Playing chess against a literal stick in a bucket of mud. Drinking wine while deciding which detective's salary to cut."

Maya was laughing so hard she was almost snorting. "Nick, if he heard you right now, he'd kill you."

Phoenix then put on his best Edgeworth face. "Miss Fey, the idea that I would murder Wright is simply ludicrous. It would be far more entertaining to watch as he squirms though an unwinnable case."

The two burst out laughing. _I haven't heard her laugh this much in years. I've missed it._

 _I forgot how silly Nick could be sometimes._

They continued to poke fun at Edgeworth as they made their way to the counter to pay for their groceries.

 _This vacation may have been rough so far, but it may have been the best idea I've had in a long time._

 _I'm really glad he came here. The only people I ever get to see anymore are the acolytes, the Elders, and Pearly._

They began to load their groceries on the conveyor belt, grabbing each item one at a time before all that was left was one bottle of grape juice, which they both grabbed and picked up.

"Oh, sorry." The two said in unison. They both relaxed their grip on the bottle, expecting the other to take it, causing the bottle to fall to the ground, shattering.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Maya said to the cashier, who rolled her eyes and picked up the phone by her register.

"We have a spill at register 3." She said into the microphone, obviously very irritated.

"Uh, is there any way I can help, miss?" Phoenix asked.

"No, I think you and your girlfriend have done enough." The girl snapped.

"Hey, calm down, we said we were sorry and he was just offering to help." Maya said back to the girl.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Sorry doesn't clean this mess up. It's people like you who make my job unbearable."

Phoenix finally looked the girl in the eye. "What's your deal? We made a mistake and you're acting like we purposely threw that bottle on the ground."

The girl began to narrow her eyes at the two. "Sir, don't make me call my manager."

Finally, a new voice broke in. "That won't be necessary, Jan."

Phoenix turned to look at the owner of the voice to see a large, dark haired man in a red polo shirt.

"Jan, my office. Now."

Jan was now visibly frightened. "Y-yes sir, Mr. Kai."

The manager then turned his attention to Phoenix and Maya and smiled. "I'm terribly sorry about that. That girl is new and I suppose we didn't do a very good job of screening her during her interview." He then reached into the pocket of his shirt and handed a card to Maya. "I hope this will make up for your poor service.

Maya looked at the card in her hand, which turned out to be a 50% off coupon. "Oh wow, thanks Mister…"

The man bowed. "Kai. Joe Kai."

"Thanks, Mr. Kai." Maya said, returning the bow. Phoenix looked on at the two with an annoyed look on his face.

Joe smiled. "It's no trouble. Here, let me finish up your order so you can get moving."

He did just that, with Maya using the coupon he'd just given her. The two finally left the store and began heading for the train station.

"That guy was so nice!" Maya exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah, I guess." Phoenix said distractedly.

"You guess? Nick, that's the best service I've ever gotten here!" _What's going on with him?_

"Well, that's good I guess. I just didn't like the way he kept looking at you."

"Looking at me? He was just smiling and… Wait, Nick, are you jealous?"

Phoenix flinched. "J-Jealous!? Why would I be jealous that a guy was checking you out?"

"So you DID notice him checking me out!"

Again, Phoenix was taken back. He then slumped over, defeated. "Ok, yeah, I noticed him checking you out. It doesn't mean anything."

Maya could tell he was getting annoyed and decided to drop the conversation. _He's jealous. I didn't even notice that guy looking at me._ Maya thought, a smile slowly forming on her face.

The two finally made it to the train station and purchased their tickets, awaiting the train's arrival.

* * *

Athena made her way to her room with only the thought of wanting to see Apollo. She slid the door open to see him on his bed, notepad on his lap with a pencil in his hand. He looked up at the girl.

"Oh, hey Athena. Make your call already?"

"Yep. How goes the planning?" She asked, sitting next to her boyfriend on the bed.

"Not good." He said, handing the notepad to her. Only one thing was written on it.

"You want me to use the Mood Matrix on him while Maya listens?"

"Hey, it's just an idea."

Athena thought for a moment. "Well, it's one to keep in mind, I guess."

Apollo sighed. "Yeah, guess I'm not much for matchmaking."

"Hey, don't say that, you got me and you together." Athena said, scooting next to the red clad attorney.

"Yeah, but Mr. Wright's the one who gave me the push."

"So? Mr. Wright didn't ask me to go out with you. You did."

Apollo smiled. "True enough." He said as Athena grabbed his hand.

Athena turned her head to smile at him as Apollo did the same. They sat there for a moment, staring at each before Athena slowly began to lean towards him. Apollo followed shortly. They inched closer to each other before their lips finally met. Athena threw arms around his neck, deepening the kiss as Apollo's good arm snaked its way around her waist. The two held each other, enjoying the moment before a voice pulled them out of it.

"Polly, Athena! We found something!" Trucy cried as she rushed into the room. "Look, we fou-" She cut herself off as she looked at the two lawyers, who were trying to pull themselves apart and look natural. "Geez, we turn our backs on you for ten minutes and you're already trying to make Polly Jr."

The two attorneys turned red as tomatoes. "S-shut up and show us what you found, Trucy!" Apollo yelled. Athena buried her face in her hands.

Pearl finally appeared behind Trucy, seemingly out of breath. _Trucy needs to stop running everywhere. Pearls can't keep up._ Apollo thought.

"Ta-da!" Trucy exclaimed, pulling a pendant from her pocket.

"Your dad's locket? What about it? We all know it's just a picture of you inside." Apollo said to the young magician, who glared at him. "N-not that it's not a cute picture!" Athena then glared at him. "B-but not as cute as you, Athena!" The group of girls continued to glare at him. _It's coming back to me why I've never had a girlfriend before._

Finally, Pearl broke the silence, taking the locket from Trucy's hand. "We found another picture in it." The young Spirit Medium opened the locket and its picture slot to pull out two pictures. One was the picture of Trucy everyone had seen. The other…

"This is the same as the picture Mystic Maya keeps in her Talisman. This is the evidence we need!"

Apollo took a closer look at the picture. It was definitely taken at Gatewater Land, as Pearl had described. He could tell by the Blue Badger motif on the boat. "Wow, this is quite a find, guys. With this, there won't be any doubt left for Maya."

 **Locket added to the court record**

"Now we can move onto the fun part. How do we get those two to confess?" Athena asked the group.

"Well, the easiest thing to do would be to show Maya this locket." Apollo said, poking his forehead.

"Booooring!" Cried Trucy. "These two have been hiding their feelings for ten years! We gotta go all out!"

Apollo's horns drooped. "You're kidding, right? Wouldn't the fact that they've been quiet about it all this time mean we should get it over with quickly?"

The three girls looked at each other and giggled.

Apollo sighed and held and scratched the back of his head. _What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

Phoenix and Maya sat on the train in relative silence. Phoenix had pulled out his puzzle book and was pondering about a difficult crossword. Maya stole glances at him every so often.

 _Even when he's out getting groceries, he's still flexing that brain of his. That's probably what I love most about him. Just how smart he is… I really hope Apollo and the girls have come up with something. I want to believe he feels the same, but I just don't think I can put my heart out there like that._

Phoenix tried to concentrate on his puzzles, but kept finding his thoughts on something else. _Heh, look at me. More interested in the girl next to me than the puzzles in my lap. The Professor would be ashamed… I need to tell her. Even if she doesn't return these my feelings, if I have to hold them in much longer, I don't think even Athena could give me enough counseling to save my mind._

The two sat silent for the rest of the ride, unaware that the secrets they kept from each other would soon be revealed.


	7. Chapter 7: Confessions

**Author's note: And here it is! the chapter I'm sure a lot of you have been waiting for! I'll admit, this one was a struggle for me, but I was so excited to get to work on it. In the end, I feel like this came out pretty good, even if it started out a bit rough. ALSO, the story isn't done just yet. I plan to put out at least two more chapters. Plus, I'm planning a short continuation revolving mostly around Apollo after they all return to the city.**

 **Thank you to everyone who's left feedback thus far. It's been greatly appreciated, especially from JoranPhoenix, who's gushing reviews have been keeping me motivated.**

 **Also, to PikaPowerX10, the reason I have the Skyrim reference in the story, as well as the cover picture being Apollo wearing the Dragonborn's helmet is because the idea of Apollo's Chords of Steel being compared to the Thu'um is entire reason I started writing this story. That's right, this entire story was written so I could make one joke. Was it worth it? Yes, yes it was.**

 **Anywhore, enjoy chapter 7, guys!**

* * *

June 10  
2:05 PM  
Fey Manor

"Maya, you owe me big time." Phoenix complained as he hauled the grocery bags to the kitchen.

"Oh quit complaining, Nick. I haul bags up that hill at least once a week." Maya said, carrying her one bag and setting it on the counter.

Phoenix sat down his armful of bags and hunched over before popping his back.

"Geez, Nick, if your old back hurts that bad, I guess I could give you a massage later." Maya said, a blush staining her cheeks as she realized what she'd just said.

Phoenix put a finger to his chin and thought for a moment. "Well, maybe I'll keep that in mind."

 _He did NOT just say that, right!?_

"Daddy!" Trucy yelled as she burst into the kitchen and threw her arms around her father.

"Hey Trucy. Miss me?"

"Yep!" She said, taking a step back. "So, what'd you bring me?"

Phoenix put on an exasperated look. "I should've known. Well, Trucy, I didn't bring you anything specifically, but Maya and I bought steaks, shrimp, corn and dinner rolls to have a big dinner tonight with everyone."

"That's right, Trucy. And I bought cake too."

Trucy looked shocked. "Wow, what's the occasion?"

Phoenix smiled. "Ask Maya. She's the one who insisted we go all out tonight."

"There's really no reason. I just wanted to cook up a big meal for everyone. Do you wanna help? You could make the salad."

Trucy beamed. "Sure!" she cried.

Apollo and Athena walked in then.

"Oh, Mr. Wright, you're back." Said Apollo.

"Oh, hey Apollo. Just who I wanted to see. I was hoping you could give me a hand with the steaks."

"Uh, sure. If you want me to help." Apollo said, confused. _Why on Earth would he want my help?_

"Athena, you and Pearly can help me with the shrimp and rolls."

Athena beamed. "Alright! A steak dinner sounds amazing!" she exclaimed before racing off to collect Pearl.

* * *

Apollo and Phoenix walked out to the deck to get the grill started for the steaks and corn.

"So, Apollo, what are you and the girls planning?"

Apollo was taken back. "Planning? What do you mean?"

"I'm not stupid, Apollo." Phoenix said, opening the steaks and beginning to marinate them. "You weren't exactly hiding the fact that you were playing matchmaker before. Y'know, when you gave me a letter from my deceased mentor."

 _Oh yeah, I can't believe I nearly forgot about that._ "Hey, consider it my way of repaying you for getting me an Athena together. But, speaking of that letter, what did it say."

Phoenix thought for a moment. "It said to take care of her. Nothing more."

 **BADUMP** _My bracelet? Now? …That's it, I'm pulling the truth out of him._

Apollo fumbled with his bracelet. "Mr. Wright, could you repeat that?"

 _Crap, how could I forget Apollo's power? If I refuse to repeat myself, he'll just get more suspicious._

Phoenix sighed. "The note said to take care of Maya. Nothing more."

Apollo focused his eyes on his boss and listened closely to what he was saying.

The note said to care of Maya.

 _Nothing of note here._

Nothing more.

 _Wait, when he said that he-_

" **GOTHCA!"**

Phoenix sighed when he heard Apollo shout that.

"Mr. Wright, when you said _nothing more_ , I noticed you swallowing a lump in your throat. Are you telling me the whole truth?"

"… Sometimes I regret telling you about your power."

Apollo's vision went back to normal.

"Alright, you got me. There was more to the note."

"And what else did it say?"

Phoenix thought for a moment, placing a steak on the grill. "It also said she approves."

"Of you and Maya?"

Phoenix nodded.

"So what's the problem?" Apollo asked, wrapping the corn in aluminum foil.

"Well, even knowing that Mia approves doesn't mean that Maya returns my feelings."

"Wasn't it you who told me I should find out for myself when I wasn't sure Athena liked me?"

Phoenix focused on the meat he had on the girl.

"Mr. Wright?"

"Yes. I told you that. It's different for me and Maya, though."

"Different how?" Apollo questioned.

Phoenix turned the steak on the grill over. "You and Athena have known each other a little over a year. I met Maya's ten years ago. Do you have any idea how Maya would react if I told her I was in love with her for ten years and she didn't feel the same? That's something I'd rather avoid."

Apollo set the corn wrapped in foil on the grill. "And what if she does feel the same? The two of you could have been wasting the last ten years ignoring your feelings when you could have spent that time together."

Phoenix placed the first steak on a plate to the side. "Eight years ago, you may have been right, Apollo. But after I lost my badge, I nearly pushed her completely out of my life. I doubt she's forgiven me. Trucy and I only ever visited for Christmas and I always said I was busy when she wanted to come visit. Though, since you met her a few times, you know she didn't always buy it."

"Why did you avoid her for so long?" Apollo asked, placing the next steak on the grill.

"Heh. I don't fully understand why myself. I suppose it's because I felt I couldn't face her after what happened. She believed in me the whole time, but most of the time, it felt like she was the only one. I felt so useless. This was the same girl who I defended against murder charges twice and ran over a burning bridge for. And yet I could barely look her in the eye for seven years. Do you really think she could love a man who turned his back on her like that?"

* * *

"So, did you guys happen to find any evidence while we were gone?" Maya asked the girls as she began peeling the shrimp.

Athena, Trucy, and Pearl all looked at each other and giggled.

"What's so funny?"

Athena spoke up. "Well, we did find evidence, but we're not just going to give it to you."

"Oh, come on! Why not?"

Trucy looked up from cutting up the salad. "Because we have some questions for you first."

Maya sighed. "What kind of questions?"

"Well," Athena said, fiddling with her earring. "How about why you're so uncertain about whether or not Mr. Wright feels the same?"

Maya stopped peeling the shrimp and paused before speaking. "Eight years ago, I might not have been so uncertain." She began. "Nick and I spent nearly every day together. We were best friends, obviously, but I always felt so much more for him. I know it's sappy, but I kind of looked at him as my knight in shining armor. Whenever I needed help, he was right there. He defended me in court twice and tried to run over a burning bridge to make sure I was safe. That idiot nearly killed himself doing that."

Athena listened on, hearing overwhelming amounts of happiness in her heart, but also steadily growing sadness.

"Then, I finally had to return here to fulfill my duties as the Master. I couldn't see Nick every day anymore. Not long after that, Nick lost his badge. I felt so horrible. As soon as I heard, I rushed to the office, completely ignoring the Elders telling me to stay away from him."

Trucy noticed tears forming in her eyes while Athena felt all the happiness nearly drain from her heart.

"I went there, hoping to make him feel better, but he refused to see me. I got in with the key I kept and found him drinking himself stupid with wine."

"Wine? Daddy doesn't drink!" Trucy cried.

A small smile formed on Maya's lips. "Not anymore. I stayed with him that night, and the next morning, I gave him one hell of a beating for doing that to himself. That's probably why he switched to grape juice and refuses to drink wine anymore." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I wanted to stay with him. I knew he didn't forge that evidence, but he refused. He told me I needed to come back here. I argued with him for a while about it, but I eventually did come back." A tear finally fell from her cheek. "I didn't see him again until Christmas that year. And even then, he barely looked at me." She took a few moments before she blurted out her next sentence. "And I know why… He blamed me. If I'd been there, he knew I would have stopped him from presenting that evidence. He blamed me for his life being ruined."

All the girls in the room remained quiet. Finally, Trucy walked over to Maya and held out her hand.

"Maya, you need to see this."

Maya took what Trucy handed her and looked at it.

"Nick's locket? Trucy, we've all seen your picture."

Trucy ignored the comment. "Open it up, Maya. And take my picture out too."

Maya did as she was told and gasped at what she found.

"This…" She slid open her Talisman and removed the picture, comparing it to the one from Phoenix's locket.

"We only noticed it earlier today, Maya." Trucy said.

Athena chimed in. "From the looks of it, it's been in there for a while."

Maya leaned against the counter and began to cry, as the other girls circled around her in a group hug.

"He cares. He really cares."

* * *

Phoenix and Apollo continued to cook in relative silence until Apollo finally said something.

"Mr. Wright, I don't think Maya holds a grudge against you."

Phoenix absent-mindedly flipped the steak on the grill. "And why do you say that?"

 _Can't tell him Maya's in on the whole plan._ "Because if she did, I don't think she would have been so excited to see you when we arrived here. Think about it, she nearly knocked you to the ground when we showed up."

"Yeah, and directly after, she had me carry all our luggage up a hill."

Apollo pondered this for a moment. "I think that's just how she is. She seems like someone who likes to pick on her friends."

"You're not completely wrong, I guess."

"Mr. Wright, can you think any one real example of Maya holding a grudge against you?"

Phoenix thought for a moment as he put another steak on the plate. "I suppose not."

Apollo placed another steak on the grill. "So why don't you talk to her about this? You guys are best friends, if nothing else. You can't keep something like that to yourself."

"Same as my feelings for her, Apollo. How do apologize to someone for ignoring them for seven years?"

Apollo had finally had enough and slammed his fist on the table next to the grill, causing Phoenix to jump.

"Damn it, Mr. Wright, stop making excuses!"

Phoenix looked on, dumbfounded that his employee was speaking to him this way.

"First it was Maya's sister not approving. I give you a note from beyond the grave blowing that out of the water, and now it's that you think Maya has some kind of grudge against you? I'm starting to think you're just afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"A relationship. I've read the case file of the Hazakura Temple incident. You defended a girl whom you'd dated in college, who's twin sister tried to kill you. Are you just afraid that Maya would turn around and hurt you too?"

Phoenix became angry at this. "You don't know anything, Apollo! First of all, there's a part of that case you probably don't know about. That twin sister came back from the grave to kill Maya. I dealt with her once and for all, with Mia's help."

Apollo listened as Phoenix continued with his outburst.

"And don't you ever say Maya would do anything to hurt anyone, let alone me! I've proven time and time again that Maya could never hurt anyone, and I'll prove it to anyone who dares question it!"

Apollo waited a moment before speaking. "Then prove it to yourself."

Phoenix was taken back. "Huh?"

"You're saying you're not afraid, but my bracelet is going nuts. You're scared to death that if you tell Maya any of this, she'll break your heart. So prove what you're saying. Prove to yourself that Maya wouldn't hurt anyone. Including you." Apollo placed the last steak on the plate and walked back into the house.

Phoenix was left by himself, pondering Apollo's words.

"Prove it… To myself?"

* * *

Dinner was delicious, but silent. Everyone behaved as if they were being held at gunpoint. Only a few words were shared, all amongst Pearl, Trucy, and Athena. Apollo barely even looked up from his plate. He didn't even stay for desert, heading to his room wordlessly after cleaning his plate. The girls all had some cake, but even Maya barely finished her slice. Finally, Pearl, Trucy, and Athena excused themselves, leaving Phoenix and Maya alone.

Several minutes passed in silence before Maya finally spoke up.

"Nick, there's something I wanna talk to you about."

Phoenix looked up at the girl. "What is it, Maya?"

Maya looked down at the floor before responding. "Come to my room. This is pretty private."

 _She's never this serious. Something must be wrong._

The two walked silently to Maya's room, where they both took a seat on the bed. Another few minutes passed before Maya spoke again. "Nick, do you love me?"

Phoenix's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. _She did NOT just ask that._ "S-sorry, I'm not sure I caught that."

Maya looked him dead in the eyes this time and spoke as clearly as possible. "I asked you if you loved me."

Phoenix could barely breathe. _Damn it, this must be Apollo and the girls' plan._

He struggled to find the right words. "Uh, y-yeah. Of course I love you, Maya. You're like the sister I never had."

Maya shook her head. "You know what I mean, Nick." She fished into her pocket.  
 **TAKE THAT!**

Phoenix looked at what Maya presented to him. "H-hey, my locket! Where'd you find that? I couldn't find it this morning."

"Stop trying to change the subject, Nick." She said as she opened the locket and removed the picture from Gatewater Land. "I found this picture underneath Trucy's. That kinda tells me that the love you feel for me is more than a brother/sister thing. Now answer me. Do. You. Love. Me?"

The spikey-haired lawyer swallowed a lump in his throat. "Alright, Maya, since you're treating this like a trial, let me ask you something. Let's suppose for a second that I DO love you. What about Mia? Something tells me she'd have a few things to say about her student having feelings for her younger sister."

Maya tapped her head, much like Edgeworth would. "You're right, Nick. She does have a few words."  
 **TAKE THAT!**

Phoenix stared at the piece of paper Maya held. He took it from her and opened, despite knowing from the get-go what it would say.

"Apparently Apollo and the girls have been acquainted with my sister and asked her a few questions about us. I'd say that note's pretty straightforward."

Phoenix knew he'd been beaten. _Never thought she'd drag my feelings out of me like this._ He sighed and said the words that had been weighing down his heart for ten years. "You got me, Maya. I love you. But I already know you don't feel the same, so why are you doing this?"

 _He said it. Oh my God, he said it! I-I wanna tell him right now, but… What he just said, I have to know why he thinks that._

"Alright, Nick, tell me, why do you think I don't feel the same?"

Phoenix turned his gaze to the ground and remembered what he'd told Apollo earlier.

"I abandoned you, Maya. For seven years, I pushed you away. I showed up to celebrate Christmas, yeah, but I couldn't face you. I'd lost my badge. I thought I was a disgrace in your eyes, even though you told me you believed me the whole time. Even if you had feelings for me at one point, seven years tends to erode feelings. Only after Apollo proved my innocence did I feel like I could face you again. By that point, I'd accepted that you probably held a grudge against me for pushing you away, so I did what I'd done best for the past few years. I locked my feelings for you up in my heart. And now you've finally dragged them out."

Maya's eyes began to tear up. _He doesn't blame me. He blames himself. I need to tell him. Now. And the best way to do that is with…_  
 **TAKE THAT!**

Phoenix continued to stare at the floor as Maya slid open her Talisman, and handed a photo to him facedown.

"What's this?" He asked, taking the picture from her hand.

"My final piece of evidence."

Phoenix turned the photo over and could barely believe his eyes.

"Nick, do you know why the Master's Talisman has a slot in it."

Phoenix continued to stare at the photo silently.

Maya continued despite being ignored. "It's a tradition in Kurain for the Master to keep something in the slot connected to the one thing she cares for the most. And in my case, the thing I care for the most…" She stopped and breathed deeply, ready to let out the words she' held back for ten long years. "Is you. Phoenix Wright,"

 _She's never said my full name before._

"I love you."

And with that, the unspoken words of the last decade hung in the air. The two sat for a moment, taking them in.

 _I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you._

Maya was the one to finally break the silence. "Nick, I've never dated anyone before, but something tells me that when two people say those words to each other, something should happen."

Phoenix looked at her, a blank expression on his face. He stared at her, noticing a blush across her face. Finally, he broke out into a huge grin. "Yeah, you're right."

She smiled back. "Well, I'm waiting, Mr. Wright."

Finally, Phoenix did something he'd only done in his dreams. He took Maya's face in his hands and slowly but surely brought their faces closer. Maya slowly closed her eyes as he did the same. With millimeters separating their lips, he hesitated before he finally let go of that last bit of restraint and pushed his lips against hers.

To any other person looking on, it would have seemed like any normal couple kissing. But to these two, it was as if the heavens had burst open to shine down on them. Fireworks shot off in their heads as they softly moved their lips against each other's.

 _I've waited for this for ten years. Every single second of it was worth it just to be in this man's arms._

 _I'm actually doing this. I'm actually holding Maya, kissing her._

They finally had to break apart for air. They stared at each other, breathing heavily.

"Maya?" Phoenix breathed out.

"Yeah?" Maya replied.

"Could you pinch me? I need to be certain I'm not dreaming."

Maya giggled. "I'll do better than that." She said as she sat on his lap and pushed him down on the bed. She pushed their lips together again, reigniting the fireworks. They sat there, kissing for what seemed like hours, though it was only a few minutes before Maya pulled away and looked down at him. "Convinced yet?"

Phoenix smiled up at the girl. "Completely." He said before leaning up and claiming her lips in another kiss.


	8. Chapter 8: Couples

**Author's note: I'm not gonna lie, I think this one came out OK at best. I had a decent idea of what I wanted to put on the page, but I had trouble actually conveying everything. I feel like I came back into it in the end, but it's still a bit choppy. May actually give this chapter a face-lift later on, but I think it's good enough for now. This will most likely be the second-to-last chapter. The next chapter will hopefully wrap everything up for THIS story. But, I already have a continuation in mind. Remember when I said it would be based around Apollo? Well, I changed my mind. My next story will most likely be focused on Phoenix and Maya. Oh, and a court case. I don't wanna spill any details until the final chapter of this story is up. But, I think the concept is one you guys will like.**

 **As always, thank you for the amazing reviews that have been keeping me motivated, and I hope you enjoy chapter 8!**

* * *

June 10  
7:43 PM  
Fey Manor

Athena and Apollo sat in separate beds, Athena absent-mindedly scrolled through screens on Widget's hologram screen while Apollo was reading a manga.

"Apollo," Athena started. "Are you gonna tell me why I hear so much overwhelming anger from your heart right now?" She asked, not looking away from Widget's screen.

Apollo looked from his book towards the girl. "Are you using the Mood Matrix on me?"

Athena closed Widget's screen and looked at her boyfriend. "Don't need to. Your heart's so loud right now, I'm afraid I might go deaf. So what's wrong?"

Apollo closed his book and sighed. "It's Mr. Wright. I talked to him earlier about Maya and all he did was give me excuses. He went out of his way to try and get you and me together, yet he refused to acknowledge any of my advice. If you ask me, if he's just gonna keep making excuses, he doesn't deserve to be with Maya."

Athena was taken back. "Yikes, Apollo. He must have really pissed you off. What exactly happened?"

"He tried lying to me about what Mia's note said at first. When I called him out on that, he started saying that Maya held some kind of grudge against him for pushing her away over the past few years. When I told him he needed to talk to her about it, he told me he didn't know how to apologize for ignoring her for so long. I finally snapped at him. I'm not stupid. All it boils down to is him being afraid of a relationship. I get it. He had a rough past when it comes to love, but lying about it is just pointless."

Athena listened intently. _I can tell talking about this isn't going to calm him down. But I know something that will._

"Apollo, stay here, I'll be back." She said, standing up and leaving the room.

Apollo sighed and returned to his book. _Guess when I'm in a bad mood, even Athena doesn't wanna be around._

Athena wandered to Pearl and Trucy's room and knocked on the door. Pearl answered.

"Hey Pearls, I need a favor."

* * *

Phoenix was awoken from the most peaceful sleep he'd had in years by Maya poking incessantly on his for head.

"Nick. Nick, wake up!"

Phoenix groaned. "Five more minutes." He heard Maya giggle.

"Get up, you old fart! It was a nice nap, but we have a LOT to tell everyone."

Phoenix buried his face in the pillow. "Can't that wait? You know as soon as we tell Trucy and Pearls they're gonna start planning our wedding right there."

Maya laughed. "Please, at this point, I'm pretty sure they have the wedding, reception, and honeymoon planned, as well as what we're gonna name our first kid."

Phoenix sighed and finally lifted himself from the pillow. "Can we at least save them for last?"

Maya giggled. "Fine."

Phoenix stood up from the bed. "I need to apologize to Apollo anyway."

"Apologize to him? For what?"

Phoenix thought for a moment before sitting back down. "Well, I guess I should apologize to you too."

Maya looked at her new boyfriend questioningly.

"What I told you about earlier, about me thinking you were mad at me for neglecting you for so long. That was all true. But it was far from the only reason I held back my feelings from you. The truth is…"

Maya placed her hand on his. "Go on, Nick. I'm listening."

Phoenix looked down at the floor. "The truth is, I was afraid."

"Of what, Nick?"

"Of being with someone. You know my dating history. Dahlia tried to kill me, and even though she had the best intentions, Iris lied to me. I was hurt immensely by all of that. And I was afraid to be with anyone. Even you."

Maya looked on at Phoenix as he continued.

"I know with every fiber of my being that you would never hurt anyone. But I was still afraid. Afraid you'd hurt me, too. And that's unforgivable."

Maya put her hand on Phoenix's shoulder. "Nick?"

Phoenix looked over at her and was greeted with a soft kiss on his lips that lasted for nearly a minute. Finally, Maya pulled back and looked Phoenix in the eyes.

"I forgive you."

* * *

Apollo sat in his bed, continuing to read his manga, when a knock came at his door. He kept his gaze on his book. "Athena, it's your room, too. You don't have to knock."

He heard the door slide open and then a voice spoke. "Athena? That's a weird way to say my name."

 _That voice. No way…_ Apollo slowly shifted his gaze up from his book to see exactly who he had guessed.

"Clay?"

His friend smiled at him. "Long time no see, Apollo."

Clay looked admittedly goofy, wearing Pearl's robes and having her trademark pretzel shaped hair. He also lacked the bandage he normally wore over his nose. But Apollo didn't care. He rushed over to his friend and threw his arms around him. "Clay! I never thought I'd see you again!"

Clay returned the hug. "Same here, man."

Apollo pulled away. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, some cute redhead apparently asked someone named Paul to channel me so I could talk to you."

Apollo chuckled. "I think you mean Pearl, Clay."

"Pearl, huh?" He looked at his clothing. "Guess that explains the dress. Here I was, thinking I was called by a crossdresser."

Apollo laughed. "So you met Athena, huh?"

"That the redhead? Yeah, I met her. Real cutie, that one."

Apollo gave his friend a light punch on the shoulder. "Hey, back off, man. Not only is she mine, I also doubt she's into necrophilia."

"What? You're kidding, right? You scored a girl like that? Nice." He held out his fist to his friend, who met it with his own.

The two chuckle before clay took a more serious tone. "So, I heard you're having a rough time."

Apollo collapsed back onto his bed. "You don't know the half of it."

Apollo proceeded to tell Clay everything that had happened, beginning with Clay's own murder trial.

"You're kidding. They actually arrested Solomon for that? Were the cops drunk?"

"No, just corrupt. The lead detective on the case turned out to be the real killer. And a spy. He only killed you to protect his identity because a sample of his own blood was on the moon rock."

Clay pondered for moment. "So, since you know that much, that must mean you caught the bastard, huh?"

Apollo nodded, thinking back to that trial. "Yeah, but I made some mistakes back then. My dumb ass actually accused Athena of killing you."

Clay looked at his friend. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess this was before you two got together."

Apollo nodded again. "Not my proudest moment."

"Hey, if it HAD been her, not sure I would have minded." Clay joked, earning a laugh from Apollo. "So, I gotta know, what'd you guys end up doing with my body?"

"Oh! How could I forget about that? You'll love this. Your dad, Mr. Starbuck and I talked for a while about it, and we eventually talked the director into letting Mr. Starbuck spread your ashes during his next flight. So you can finally make it to space."

"… Dude, you are the best friend a guy could ask for." Clay said to his friend, grinning. "Can't believe old man Cosmos agreed to that."

Apollo shook his head. "Not Cosmos. He got demoted for his scheme to switch the launch pads."

"Dang, didn't see that coming. Then again, I guess it DID kinda get me killed."

"Did it hurt?"

"Huh?" Clay questioned.

"When you got stabbed. Did it hurt?" Apollo asked.

Clay looked at the ground, a faint smile on his face. "Nah. Died instantly. So you can at least rest easy knowing I didn't suffer."

Apollo smiled at his friend. "Yeah. I'm glad to hear that."

The two chatted on for nearly an hour, laughing and joking as if nothing had ever happened.

"So what's up with your arm? Already piss off that girl of yours?"

Apollo laughed. "This?" He said, indicating his left arm. "Oh, this is nothing. Just something I got a few days ago when a professional wrestler tossed me through the air."

Both men burst out laughing.

"Urk!" Clay cried, holding his head.

"Clay? What's wrong!?" Apollo asked his friend, worriedly.

"Major headache. Pretty sure it means Paul's about spent. Gah!" He held his head tighter.

Apollo's smile fell. "So I guess you have to go, huh?"

Clay composed himself. "Looks that way. But it's been great being back, man." He held out his hand to Apollo, who took it and pulled his friend into a hug. "Call me again sometime. You'll have to formally introduce me to that redhead."

Apollo smiled. "Will do."

With that, Clay put his hand to his head in a salute before closing his eyes. Apollo watched as the form of his friend faded away and changed back into Pearl, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Apollo smiled at the young girl and used his good arm to pick up her tiny form and lay her on Athena's bed.

"Thank you, Pearls."

* * *

Phoenix and Maya walked towards Apollo and Athena's room, knocking on the door.

"It's open." Apollo said from the other side.

Phoenix slid the door open, shocked to find Trucy and Pearl in the room as well.

"Geez, the gang's all here." Maya said.

"Yeah," Athena started. "We were just talking about you guys."

"Nothing bad, I hope." Phoenix said, glancing at Apollo who seemed to avoid his gaze. The man walked over to the bed Apollo sat on and took a seat next to him. "Apollo, I wanted to talk to you."

Apollo kept his gaze away from Phoenix. "What is it?"

Phoenix took a moment before speaking. "I wanted to say sorry." He was fully aware that everyone in the room was watching him, but he ignored them.

"You were right. I was being a coward. Making excuses only made it worse." Apollo slowly turned his head towards his boss. "So, I hope you," He looked at everyone in the room. "All of you will be happy to hear that Maya and I… are together now."

Everyone's eardrums nearly shattered as Trucy and Pearl let out high pitched squeals.

"Congratulations, Mr. Nick!"

"Oh, does this mean I can start calling you Mommy, Maya?!"

"Aw, you guys are so cute together! Almost as cute as me and Apollo!"

Apollo remained silent, but smiled at the two, who were grinning ear to ear trying to answer the girls' questions. _Maybe I was a bit hard on him when I talked to Athena earlier. The two of them won't hurt each other. They've just been needing a push for the last ten years._

Apollo finally stood up and put a hand on Phoenix's shoulder. "Congratulations, Mr. Wright." Phoenix turned to him and smiled. "Thank you, Apollo. And again, I'm sorry about earlier."

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

Phoenix opened his mouth to say something, but Maya interrupted.

"Nick! You know, there's one more person we need to tell."

Phoenix looked at his girlfriend questioningly. "Who?"

"Mia, of course!" Maya the turned to Pearl. "Pearly, could you channel sis for us?"

Pearl looked at the ground. "I'm sorry, Mystic Maya. I'm too exhausted to channel anyone right now. I used all my power earlier to channel Mr. Polly's friend."

Maya hugged the girl. "Oh, it's fine, Pearly. We can tell her tomorrow."

Phoenix turned to Apollo. "Your friend? Does she mean Clay?"

Apollo smiled. "Yeah. Athena asked her to channel him earlier."

Phoenix smiled at his employee. "That must have been nice. Hearing from him again."

"It was. Before I found out what Pearls and Maya were capable of, I never thought I'd see him again."

Phoenix patted his employee on the back. "With friends like the Feys, death is just an inconvenience." He paused for a moment. "And with a girl like Athena, you won't have any reason to not be smiling."

Apollo turned his gaze to Athena, who was laughing at something Maya had just said. "Yeah. You're right." He then paused for a moment before turning back to Phoenix. "Wish I could tell you the same, but you're too attached to your wallet to always be smiling around her."

Phoenix laughed. "Yeah, you got a point. But if the only thing she's gonna hurt is my wallet, I've got no reason to be sacred."

Everyone chatted for a while before finally walking out of the crowded room and to the living room to watch movies and eat the cake that had gone mostly untouched.

* * *

Everyone yawned loudly as the credits began to roll.

"How many of these movies are there?" Apollo aske, rubbing his eyes.

Maya began to count on her fingers. "23."

Apollo threw his hands up in defeat. "Can't do it. I'm out. Good luck to you, Mr. Wright." He then stood up and began walking to his room.

Athena stood up. "I'm with him. Steel Samurai is awesome and everything, but I'm spent. Good night everyone."

Phoenix chuckled. "Good night, Athena."

Trucy stood up next, shouldering Pearl. "I think we're done too, Daddy."

Pearl was so tried she was nearly delirious. "No, Miss Trucy. We have to stay up and plan the wedding."

Maya chimed in, sleepily. "No, no wedding planning tonight. You should have been sleeping instead of watching movies with us, Pearly."

"But Mystic Maya-"

"No buts, Pearls." Phoenix chimed in. "You're exhausted. Trucy, please take her to bed."

"Good night, Daddy." Trucy said as she began to drag Pearl along.

Phoenix and Maya could just barely hear Pearl call Trucy a traitor as they disappeared down the hall, causing the two of them to laugh.

"We should probably get in bed too, Maya."

"Whoa, Nick. We just started dating, not sure I'm ready for that yet." Maya joked.

Phoenix looked unamused. "Funny." He turned off the TV and grabbed Maya's hand. "C'mon, I don't wanna nurse you out of another Samurai hangover in the morning."

Maya reluctantly followed him. "Ugh, fine. Killjoy."

Phoenix chuckled. "You'll thank me in the morning." He led her to her room and laid her on the bed before kissing her forehead. "Good night, Maya." He began to walk away when Maya grabbed his hand.

"Nick, will you stay with me tonight?"

Phoenix looked at the girl to see an almost puppy dog look in her eyes. He hesitated for a moment. "If that's what you want, of course. "

Maya smiled softly as Phoenix slid underneath the covers. She then turned towards him and cuddled closely to him. Phoenix returned the embrace.

Maya spoke with her face buried in his chest. "I'm so happy, Nick. I've been in love with you for so long, and until recently, I never would have imagined you felt the same."

Phoenix smiled. "When did you first start to have feelings for me?"

Maya stayed silent for a moment. "I guess during Edgeworth's trial. When you defended me, I didn't know you very well, but by the time Edgeworth was accused of murdering Hammond, I'd seen you go through hell and back for people you barely knew. Just to prove them innocent. And defending your friend against an impossible case was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen."

Phoenix smiled again before Maya asked him a question. "What about you? When did you first start to care for me?"

Phoenix barely hesitated before he spoke. "Right after you left to continue your training here. When we got Edgeworth acquitted, I realized what a great team we were, and when I found out you were leaving, I was devastated. I refused to take cases directly after that because of… Well, I guess at this point I'd call it a broken heart."

He felt Maya's smile fade. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to leave, but I had to. I had to come back here and train and mature."

He lifter her head to look at her. "Please, I don't think you'll ever really mature."

Maya smiled at him as she leaned up and gave him a kiss on the lips.

* * *

Athena slid underneath the covers and cuddled next to her boyfriend.

"You're getting too used to this." Apollo said, placing his arm around her.

Athena cuddled closer. "What can I say? You make a good pillow."

Apollo chuckled. "Sure is gonna suck for you when we go back to the city."

"Awww, you're not gonna let me stay at your place?" Athena whined.

Apollo chuckled at the girl. "Hey, you can stay over whenever, but I'd say it's a bit early to start planning to move in together."

"Damn, guess I'd better tell the moving crew to take everything back." She joked.

The two laid in silence for a moment before Apollo spoke. "Athena, thank you for earlier."

"Hm?"

"You know what I'm talking about. For calling Clay. You knew exactly how to cheer me up when I was so angry at Mr. Wright."

The girl smiled. "You don't have to thank me, Apollo. You said you were going to ask her yourself before we left."

"True, but you called him when I really needed my best friend most." Apollo thought for a moment. "By the way, what'd you tell him when Pearls channeled him?"

"I just told him who I was and that he was using Pearl's body."

"And what'd he say to you?"

Athena stayed silent.

"He started hitting on you, didn't he?"

"… Mildly flirted, yes."

Apollo laughed. "I set him straight, don't worry. But he said he'd like to formally meet you sometime."

Athena smiled. "I'd like to talk to him some more too. As long as he doesn't flirt with me. I'm not into necrophilia."

"That's what I told him!"

The two burst out laughing, earning a yell from Trucy across the house. "Keep it down! Some of us need our beauty sleep for the stage!"

The couple immediately piped down, learning over the week how terrifying a sleep deprived Trucy was.

"Maybe we should actually try to sleep before Trucy murders us. We both know she'd get away with it."

Athena giggled. "Yeah, if she didn't just hide the bodies in her magic panties, her dad would get her off the hook." This earned a chuckle from Apollo.

"Good night, Athena."

"Good night, Apollo."

Apollo closed his eyes to go to sleep, but a minute later, he heard Athena speak.

"Apollo?"

"Hm?" he questioned, his eyes still closed.

He felt Athena softly press her lips to his.

"This is the best vacation ever."

Apollo smiled and kissed her. "Yeah. It is."


	9. Chapter 9: Date Night

**Author's note: I'm actually really happy with how this one turned out. Much better than last chapter. Although, it looks like I've lied again, and this will NOT be the last chapter. The next chapter WILL be, though. So, if I get the last chapter out tomorrow, I'll finally spill some details on the continuation story I have planned.**

 **I also feel I should warn that the last couple of parts in this chapter get a bit risque, but it stays PG-13**

 **As always, feedback is appreciated and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

June 11  
8:22 AM  
Fey Manor

Athena began to stir and yawned before opening her eyes. _Mmmm, what times is it?_

She glanced at her watch. 8:22. _Ugh, forget that._ She thought as she closed her eyes to go back to sleep, before noticing the absence of a certain person. She reopened her eyes to find Apollo missing from the bed. _Huh? He's never up this early._

She decided to go look for the man out of curiosity. She decided to first check the kitchen, thinking he may be cooking breakfast. Sure enough, there stood her boyfriend at the cabinet. Though, he wasn't cooking. He instead seemed to be considering what they had.

"Apollo? What are you doing?"

Apollo turned to see his girlfriend standing in the entryway. "Oh, Athena. I'm seeing what we have to cook. Did I wake you up?"

Athena shook her head. "Not directly. I just sorta woke up and noticed you weren't there." She then noticed that Apollo had a few things sitting on the counter, but they weren't exactly breakfast foods.

"Pasta noodles and spaghetti sauce? Are you making spaghetti for breakfast?"

Apollo chuckled and shook his head. "No, actually I'm seeing what we have for dinner."

"What, are you cooking a romantic dinner for you and me? Aw, that's so sweet." She said as she began to pour herself a cup of the coffee Apollo had brewed.

"Actually, no. I'm hoping to do that for Mr. Wright and Maya."

Athena nearly choked on her coffee. "Maya and the boss? Why them?"

Apollo chuckled again. "Don't worry, I have something planned for you too, but I wanted to do something nice for Mr. Wright. I was kinda harsh on him yesterday. I thought I'd get Trucy and Pearls to make them dinner while we go out. Give them a nice evening alone."

Athena pondered this for a moment, sipping her coffee. "Apollo, that's so sweet."

Apollo smiled to himself as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"So," Athena said. "You're taking me out tonight? Where to?"

"That's a surprise." Answered Apollo, smiling.

"Aw, you can't say that! Now it's gonna drive me nuts!"

Apollo chuckled. "Athena, you only have to wait a few hours."

"Ugh, fine." Athena said, continue to sip her coffee.

* * *

One by one, everyone filed into the kitchen, all but Pearl grabbing a cup of coffee. Athena and Apollo had quickly thrown together a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast for everyone.

"So, what would you guys like to do today?" Asked Maya, having finally woken herself up.

Athena and Apollo looked at each other.

"Actually," Apollo started. "Athena and I have plans later."

Phoenix looked at the two. "Plans? What plans?"

"That's a secret. For now, at least." He felt Athena shoot him a glare. "But, yeah, we'll be busy later. Whatever we do today can't be able to last too long."

"Hmmmm," Maya pondered. "We could always pick up our Samurai marathon where we left off."

 _ANYTHING BUT THAT._ Apollo screamed in his mind. He then heard Phoenix laughing.

"Hey, yeah! We could probably finish them if we start now!" Athena cried.

 _Athena, no!_

"Yeah! I need to know how the two-parter we started last night ends!" Exclaimed Trucy.

 _TRUCY!_

"It's the best one, Miss Trucy!"

 _Even Pearls!? C'mon, Mr. Wright, you're my last hope._

"Well, it sounds like as good a way to spend the day as any."

 _Et tu, Phoenix!?_

Maya slammed her hands on the table. "Then it's settled! To the living room!"

Athena grabbed Apollo's hand. "C'mon, Apollo!"

 _I need better friends._

* * *

Not only had Apollo been roped into watching movies he had little interest in, he'd also been placed on snack duty. It seemed as if he had to make a trip to the kitchen every half hour.

"I'm a good person, right? So why do I always get the short end of the stick?" Apollo said to an invisible being.

"Apollo!" He heard Athena cry from the living room. "We need more popcorn too! And a soda for me and Pearls!"

Apollo sighed. _What do I see in her again?_

* * *

June 11  
6:27 PM  
Fey Manor

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the credits of the last movie rolled on the screen.

"Ah, these movies are so good! I can't wait till the new one comes out next month!" Cried Maya.

Apollo groaned. "Don't expect to drag me along." He looked at his watch. "Crap, Athena, if we're gonna make our plans, we gotta get going soon."

"Oh? You should have mentioned earlier." She said, standing up from the couch.

"I tried to. You were too busy shouting _GO IRON TEEN_ to listen."

Athena stuck her tongue out at him. "Gimme a minute, I'll go get dressed."

Once she'd left the room, Apollo turned his attention to Trucy and Pearl. "Truce, Pearls, could I talk to you for a minute."

"Sure. What is it, Mr. Polly?"

Apollo stood from the couch. "Just follow me." With that, Apollo and the two girls left the room, heading for the kitchen.

"What do you think they're up to this time, Nick?" Maya asked.

"I'm not sure. But, I say we just let this one play out on it's own."

* * *

"So, you want us to cook Daddy and Maya dinner while you an Athena go out to dinner? Why should we do that!?" Trucy cried.

Apollo racked his brain to think of something to bribe the girls with. _Pearl probably won't be hard to convince, but Trucy, I can only think of one thing._

"If you do this, I'll be your assistant one night at the Wonder Bar."

Trucy crossed her arms and began to think. "Two nights."

 _Damn, I'm not exactly in a position to bargain._ He held his hand out to the girl. "Ok, two nights. BUT, no bunny costumes."

Trucy puffed out her cheeks, but took Apollo's hand and shook. "Alright, I'm in."

Apollo turned his attention to Pearl. "And Pearls, what would you like?"

The girl thought for a moment. "You don't need to do anything for me, Mr. Polly. Just have a nice evening with Miss Thena!" The girl said, bouncing on her heels.

Apollo smiled. "That, I can do."

As if on cue, Athena's voice broke through the conversation. "Apollo, I'm ready to go! Don't we need to leave soon?"

Apollo turned to the two girls. "Thanks a lot, guys." With that, he rushed out of the room to meet Athena.

* * *

Athena and Apollo were walking hand in hand down the hill to the train station.

"So, are you gonna tell me where we're going yet?"

Apollo smiled to himself. "You'll see when we get there."

Athena puffed out her cheeks. "You're not supposed to keep secrets from your girlfriend, Apollo!"

He chuckled at his girlfriend. "Trust me, you'll like this."

"You better hope so." She said, playfully.

Apollo glanced at the girl. He'd told her to dress nice, and although one could say she was a little underdressed compared to her courtroom attire, she was absolutely stunning. She was wearing a yellow dress that hugged her body tightly and stopped just above her knees. It had a baby blue strap that went just beneath her bust. She was also wearing baby blue heels and pulled her hair out of its trademark ponytail, allowing it to flow down her back. _I have no idea why she even brought clothes that nice on vacation._

Apollo himself was slightly underdressed, but still looked better than if he had worn his street clothes. He wore a crimson blazer over a black polo shirt and khakis. He still left his hair styled as usual. _I'm really lucky Maya happened to have a blazer in my size. Can't help but wonder why she did, though._

The couple finally reached the train station. Apollo walked up to the ticket booth. "Two tickets on the next train to Oni Town, please."

* * *

Pearl and Trucy began preparing dinner not long after Athena and Apollo left.

"Ok, Miss Trucy, you get started on the salad and I'll boil the noodles."

"Alright, alright. You know, you're too much of a pushover, Pearls. You could have asked for anything from Polly!" Trucy said as she began to collect the ingredients.

"But he's just doing something nice for Mystic Maya and Mr. Nick! He's so nice and I don't wanna be mean to him for it." Pearl said as she put a pot of water on the stove to boil.

"You mean WE'RE doing something nice for them. It may be his idea, but we're doing all the work while he's out having fun with Athena."

"You're right, but it's the thought that counts. I'm just happy knowing he's spending time with his special someone!" cried Pearl, gushing over the two.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be satisfied when I get Polly on stage to take part in my Flaming Sarcophagus trick. The look on his face will be priceless!"

* * *

"Mr. Nick! Mystic Maya! Dinner's ready!" Pearl cried from the kitchen.

"Hm? I didn't realize the girls were cooking." Phoenix said to Maya, who was channel surfing on the tv.

"Me either. They never said a thing."

The two of them made their way to the kitchen, confused to see that the lights were off as they approached. As they entered, they realized that the two girls had been planning something.

"Those sneaky punks." Phoenix said under his breath.

The kitchen had been slightly decorated. In the center of the room sat the kitchen table as usual, but most of the chairs were missing, leaving only two. A red tablecloth was draped over it and on it sat two plates filled with spaghetti and meatballs and breadsticks as well as two small bowls filled with salad. Next to candle sat a bucket filled with ice which held a bottle of what Phoenix assumed was grape juice. Next to the bucket sat two wine glasses. The last thing on the table was a folded note. Phoenix walked over and picked up the note to read it.

 _Daddy and Maya,_

 _Enjoy your evening. We'll be in our room if you need us._  
 _~Trucy and Pearl_

"Wow, Nick. These two really went all out."

Phoenix folded the note up and stuck it in his pocket. "I get the feeling a couple of my employees gave them the idea."

Maya giggled. "Well, you've got some really thoughtful employees." She then gestured to the table. "Shall we?"

Phoenix smiled and pulled Maya's seat out for her before taking his own seat.

"Be ready, Nick. Pearly makes the best spaghetti and meatballs."

Phoenix smiled as he reached for the bottle in the bucket. "So I've heard." Phoenix was about to pour their glasses when he noticed something. The bottle he originally thought was grape juice was actually red wine.

"Something wrong, Nick?" Maya asked, looking at him worriedly.

"N-no. I'm fine. It's just," He held the bottle up for Maya to see. "I-I don't drink anymore."

Maya frowned. "Nick, stop it. You spent the hardest weekend of your life drinking cheap wine. A couple of glasses now isn't going to turn you into an alcoholic."

"B-but-"

"Nick." Maya snapped at him. "It's fine. I was hard on you back then because I thought you were better than that. Better than trying to drink your problems away. But I went overboard. You shouldn't be afraid to have a few drinks." She then smiled at him. "Besides, if you drink a little too much, Trucy, Pearly, and I will take care of you. Loosen up a bit."

Phoenix hesitated a moment then popped the cork out of the bottle and poured their glasses, handing one to Maya.

"Cheers." Maya said, smiling, holding out her glass.

Phoenix smiled back softly. "Cheers." They clinked their glasses together.

Maya immediately took a sip of hers while Phoenix slowly put the glass to his lips and drank.

Pulling the glass from his lips he spoke. "Wow, this is really good. Wait, where the hell did the girls get wine?"

Maya giggled. "Don't worry, Nick. I just keep a few bottles around for when I have important guests. Pearly probably just knows where I keep it."

Phoenix stuffed a forkful of spaghetti in his mouth and chewed before speaking again. "We should probably check later and make sure there's only the one bottle missing."

Maya swallowed a bite of her food. "I wouldn't worry too much, Nick. They're smart girls. Plus, I'm sure Trucy knows she would be grounded for life if she started drank anything."

"Yeah," Phoenix said, putting the glass to his lips for another sip. "You're right."

* * *

"Apollo, have I told you that you're the best boyfriend ever?" Athena asked as she took her seat.

Apollo smiled as he sat across from her at the small table. "No, but it's not hard to guess."

"Hey, don't get a fat head." She said as the waiter stepped up to their table.

The waiter handed them their menus and introduced himself. "Good evening. My name is Richard and I will be your server this evening. Shall I start you off with some drinks? Might I recommend the red wine?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Richard, I'm only nineteen." Athena admitted.

"Oh, yes of course, ma'am. In that case, I might recommend the lemonade. The lemons are locally grown and we make it right here in the restaurant."

"That sounds great, Richard. I'll have that."

"Of course, ma'am. And for you, sir?" He asked, turning to Apollo.

"I'll have the iced tea, please."

"Of course. I'll give you two a moment to look over your menus."

Richard then walked off to get their drinks.

"Apollo, you could have had a drink. It's not like you're driving or anything."

Apollo shook his head. "Nah, it's nothing like that. I just don't drink very much." He said opening his menu.

Athena did the same. "I can't believe a small town like this has such a nice restaurant. And that you didn't need reservations."

Apollo smiled. "The town's so small and out of the way, not a lot of people outside of town wanna make the trip. I only found out about it after doing a search online after Mr. Wright told me about the town."

Athena smiled at her boyfriend. "Well I'm very glad you did."

"Have you ever been to a restaurant like this, Athena?"

"A few times. Back in Europe, I went to them by myself when they had open reservations."

"By yourself? You're kidding. No guys ever asked you out?" Apollo asked.

"Well, a few did, but I was too focused on my studies to worry about dating." She said, blushing.

"Well," Apollo started, setting his menu down. "It doesn't surprise me that you'd been asked out before, given how beautiful you are."

Athena blushed deeply shifting her eyes back and forth from the menu to Apollo. "Well, I can't believe you've never had a girlfriend before, considering how handsome you are."

Apollo blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, well, I was never good with girls growing up. Clay was always the womanizer."

"I could have guessed that much from yesterday." She said giggling as Richard returned with their drinks.

They thanked him and he pulled out his notepad. "Now, have you decided what you'd like?"

* * *

Phoenix poured yet another glass of wine for himself and Maya, handing her glass to her shakily.

"Thanks, Nick." She slurred out.

"No, no, thank you, Maya." He said, shakily pointing a finger at her.

A couple hours had passed and the two had each had two plates of food and were now on their fourth glass of wine.

"Thank me? For what?" She asked.

"For having good taste." He said, taking a long sip of the liquid. "This is sooooooo much better than that crap I was drinking back then."

She laughed much harder than she meant to. "You think _I_ gave you hard time about that crap? I bet Edgeworth would have beat you within an inch of your life for trying to drink away your problems AND for having bad taste."

Phoenix drunkenly put on his Edgeworth face. "Wright! You're a disgrace to you profession! And drinking this swill? You don't deserve to live!"

Maya started laughing so hard she nearly fell out of her chair. "Not bad, Nick. But you need to furrow your brow more."

"If I do that, I'd just morph into Edgeworth and one of him's bad enough."

The two of them burst out laughing, with Maya finally falling out of her chair. This snapped Phoenix back to reality and he rushed over to her.

"Maya? You alright?" He asked holding a shaky hand out to her.

"Oh yeah," She said, taking his hand as he hoisted her off the ground. "Never better."

Phoenix was thinking more clearly, but just barely. "We should probably get in bed. We're drunk."

"Aw, Nick, but the evening's just getting fun!"

"Mayaaaa, if we keep drinking like this, we're gonna be in for one hell of a hangover in the morning."

"Oh, fine, you old fart. Let's go get in bed, I guess."

Phoenix led her by the hand and began walking towards her room, not noticing when she grabbed the bottle from the table.

* * *

"Wow, the food here is so good!" Athena cried, putting a forkful of her chicken parmesan in her mouth.

"Yeah, it's been awhile since I've had food like this." Apollo said, taking a bite of his lemon herb tilapia.

The two ate and chatted for a while.

"You guys actually planted a stink bomb in the director's room? I can't believe he didn't kill you!" Athena cried, laughing hysterically.

Apollo laughed as well. "He probably would have, if he wasn't always trying to put on a big show! You should have heard him. _We've been hit on the port side! We have a traitor in our midst! Fan out and find them immediately!"_

Athena laughed heartily. "And what'd he do when he found out it was you guys?"

Apollo smiled. "Tried to act like a stern adult, but no one could take him seriously when he stunk like Pepe LePew."

The two shared a laugh as Richard returned to the table holding the bill.

"Was all the food to your liking?"

"Yes, Richard," Athena said, smiling. "The lava cake was especially delicious."

Richard smiled. "I'm glad to hear it." He placed the bill on the table. "Will there be anything else before I go?"

"No thank you." Apollo said. "We're stuffed."

"Very well, I'm glad you two had a fine evening." He bowed and walked away from the table, their dirty plates in hand.

Apollo picked up the bill before Athena could even reach for it.

"Apollo, let me pitch in! I had more than you."

"Not a chance. I invited you out. What kind of date would I be if I let you pay?" He stuck his credit card in the booklet and stood from his chair. "C'mon. If we sit around much longer, we may miss the train back." He said, holding a hand out to her.

Athena sighed and took his hand. "Watch yourself, Apollo. Spoil me too much and I'll ruin your life."

Apollo smiled as they walked to the register, handing the girl behind the counter the booklet.

"Well, I guess my life's gonna be ruined then."

* * *

Phoenix and Maya were tangled together on her bed, kissing passionately.

When the two had made it to the room, Phoenix's mind had fogged up again, leading to the two of them finishing the bottle together, which now lay on the floor.

"Ah, Nick." Maya moaned into his mouth as he leaned over her.

Maya had been the one to make the first move, though Phoenix was only moments away from pushing her down on the bed and attacking her lips.

"Maya." He whispered in her ear he trailed kisses from her ear down to her collarbone.

The two were very unfamiliar with the situation they now found themselves in, but the feelings of ten years had finally boiled over and their physical needs wanted satisfaction.

"Ah! Be more gentle, Nick." Maya cried as he nipped at her collarbone.

Out of nowhere, Maya found the strength to flip them over, and now placed herself on top of Phoenix. She began to softly kiss his neck, earning light gasps from the man at the sensation he'd never felt before.

Phoenix's hands carefully explored her still covered body, softly caressing each curve, memorizing them.

Maya continued to kiss him as she carefully slid her hands beneath his shirt, feeling the muscles he'd been hiding. "Nick." She whispered lovingly. She then found her hands moving with a mind of their own as she began to pull his shirt up. He leaned up just enough for the piece of clothing to be removed and tossed to the floor.

The girl gawked at the man beneath her, still dumbfounded, even in her drunken state, by how well toned his body was. "Nick." She said as she gripped the bottom of her shirt, slowly but surely pulling upwards before removing it, leaving her clad in her dark purple bra and shorts. "I want you, Nick."

Phoenix stared at the now scantily clad girl before him, awestruck. But his mind was finally beginning to clear as she leaned back down to kiss him. "Maya." He said into her mouth, carefully pushing her back.

"Nick," she said sadly. "What's wrong? Don't you want me?"

Phoenix shook his head. "I do, Maya. But not like this. We're too drunk. We're not thinking clearly."

"But Nick," she cried, sounding incredibly needy. "I want this. I want YOU."

Phoenix carefully sat up and took her hands in his before speaking in a soft loving tone. "And I want you, Maya. But I also want it to be special. Not some wine-fueled fling I'll barely remember. Do you understand what I'm saying, Maya?"

Maya hesitated, but finally nodded. "I understand, Nick. You're right, we're not in our right state of mind."

Phoenix smiled at the girl before placing a very soft kiss on her lips. "Thank you for understanding, Maya. I love you."

She smiled back. "I love you too, Nick."

Maya finally laid down next to Phoenix, cuddling close to him as she closed her eyes and drifted off to a dream that would take her where she couldn't go in reality. At least not yet.

* * *

Athena stepped out of the bathroom, now clad in her pajamas. And laid down next to Apollo.

She placed a loving kiss on his lips. "Thank you for tonight, Apollo. You're the best."

He gave her a kiss right back. "Yeah, I kinda am aren't I?"

She slapped him playfully. "I thought I told you not to get a fat head."

"Oh, did you? I must not have been listening."

The two traded banter and kisses back and forth for a while before all talking stopped and they found themselves completely lip locked, neither one wanting to pull apart for even a moment.

Their lips moved in sync with each other, the two of them loving each and every second. Before long, Apollo felt Athena's tongue prodding at his lips, begging for entrance, which he granted.

The two of them were lifted to new heights of pleasure as their tongues explored each other's mouths.

"A-Apollo." She moaned into his mouth, driving the man crazy.

Apollo pulled his lips from hers and began to kiss down her jawline, hearing her gasp the closer he came to her collarbone. He gently nipped at her skin, hearing a yelp or two escape her lips.

Finally Athena rolled them from their sideways position, now straddling her boyfriend as she returned the favor, biting and licking at his collarbone. He gasped, barely able to contain his desire to use his Chords of Steel. Suddenly, he felt Athena's hands move, tugging at his shirt.

"A-Athena, wait."

She pulled herself away from his neck and look him in the eyes. "Something wrong, Apollo?"

He could see in her eyes that a fire had ignited within her. A fire he hated to douse, but had to. "I-I think we're moving a bit fast. I-I mean we've only been dating a few days."

Athena looked disheartened, which broke Apollo's heart. "I'm sorry, Athena."

"N-no. I get it, Apollo. I agree. If something like that happened between us this early, it might hurt us in the long run." She turned her gaze towards the floor.

"Hey," He said, leaning up, causing her to look back towards him. He took her hands in his own. "Don't get me wrong. You're so stunningly beautiful, it's hard to try and tell you no. But I care so deeply for you, I just wanna be careful how we go about things."

Athena smiled and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "I understand Apollo. I know we'll get there someday. And there's no one else in the world I'd rather it be with."

Apollo embraced the girl with his good arm. "C'mon, let's get some rest. We gotta pack up tomorrow, remember?"

With that, the two lay back down and close their eyes. Athena waited until she was certain Apollo was asleep before softly kissing him and whispering. "I love you, Apollo."


	10. Chapter 10: Homeward Bound

**Author's note: AND IT'S DONE! I am SO glad to finally have this story finished! I definite felt I was losing enthusiasm for it as I continued to come up with ideas for the continuation, probably evidenced by the admittedly bland ending. But I am glad I can finally spill the beans about that continuation! So, I'll leave a brief summary here and I'd like you guys to leave feedback and tell me what you think of the idea.**

 **The group returns to the Wright Anything Agency where Phoenix is asked to defend an old friend by... GUMSHOE!? Phoenix and Maya take on their first case together in years as Blackquill sets out on a personal quest to test if Apollo is worthy of being with Athena.**

 **What do you guys think? Sound like a story you'd like to read? If I get enough feedback, I'll get right to work on it and aim to get the first chapter out by the end of the week.**

 **Oh, and I should also tell you the title of the story shouldn't I? The title I've decied on is... Turnabout Delivery. Why that title? Well, you'll just have to wait and find out? ;)**

* * *

June 12  
10:27 AM  
Fey Manor

Phoenix began to stir, opening his eyes, and immediately winced in pain. _And now I remember the other reason I don't drink._ He thought, holding his head tight.

"Niiiick, move quieter!" Maya whined, her eyes still closed.

That's when most of the memories of the night before came rushing back to Phoenix. He remembered eating the dinner Trucy and Pearl had cooked, staying up late drinking wine with Maya, taking her to bed, and…

Phoenix felt his chest, and sure enough, he was shirtless. _If my shirt's off, then that means Maya and I almost…_

He shook the thoughts from his head, causing another jolt of pain as his head throbbed.

He slowly shifted and placed his feet on the floor, scanning the floor for his shirt and eventually finding it. He stood and shambled over to pick it up and put it back on.

He finally spoke, his voice raspy. "Maya, I'm gonna make some coffee. Maybe some breakfast too."

She replied groggily. "Make extra coffee."

He slowly made his way to the kitchen, a bit surprised to find he was the first person awake. He began brewing the coffee and decided to make biscuits and gravy for breakfast, having heard it was a good remedy for hangovers.

He pulled a tube of biscuits from the fridge and put a roll of sausage in the microwave to thaw. _I should have known better than to let Maya talk me into drinking in the first place. Last night was fun, though._

He stuck the biscuits in the oven. _Wonder how Apollo and Athena's evening was._

* * *

Athena began to slowly stir from her slumber, opening her eyes to see Apollo sleeping peacefully next to her. She smiled to herself. _I'm so lucky to have him._

She then began to remember the night before. Taking the train to Oni Town, having a nice dinner, and…

Her face turned bright red as she remembered her make out session with her boyfriend and how she tried to undress him. _We've been dating for four days and I tried to go all the way. What the hell is wrong with me?_

She then noticed Apollo beginning to stir. He opened his eyes to see the girl and smiled.

"Morning, Athena." He said, a smile plastered across his, causing her to smile back.

"Morning, Apollo. Sleep well?"

He slowly sat up and stretched. "Yeah. Weird dream, though. I dreamt I you and I went out on a date. Weird, huh?"

Athena wasn't sure how he managed to be so cheery in the morning before having coffee. "Oh, yeah definitely weird. You and I dating? That's just crazy talk!" She said jokingly, but with little enthusiasm.

Apollo smiled nonetheless "You wanna get the first shower, or should I?"

Athena thought for a moment. "You go ahead. I need to get some coffee first."

Apollo nodded and stood to walk to the bathroom.

"Um, Apollo?" Athena said.

Apollo turned his head to the girl. "Yeah? What is it?"

Athena placed her feet on the floor and turned her gaze to the ground. "I'm… I'm sorry. About last night. For… Trying to-"

Apollo walked over and placed a finger on her lips. "Athena, it's fine. What happened between us is a natural thing. Plus…" He paused for a moment before speaking again. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy what we did." He then closed his eyes and smiled at her.

Athena was speechless, but a small smile spread across her lips. "You're the best, Apollo." She jumped off the bed and hugged him.

He used his good arm to return the embrace, before the girl finally pulled away from him.

"I always assumed you were a huggy person, but I'm not sure my arm can handle this much longer."

She giggled before pushing him towards the bathroom. "Just get your shower. I'm gonna go see if there's any coffee."

Apollo walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

Athena stood by herself in the room. _I swear, he's too nice for his own good._ She smiled to herself before walking out of the room and heading toward the kitchen.

* * *

Athena walked into the kitchen to the smell of biscuits and gravy and that gift to men from God, coffee. She also noticed her boss at the table, clearly out of it as he put a spoonful of gravy covered goodness in his mouth.

"You look like you had fun last night, boss." She said as she poured the dark liquid in her mug.

Phoenix slowly turned his head toward his employee, his eyes practically looking through her. "Almost too much fun, Athena." He said as he took a long sip of his coffee, finally understanding a certain masked prosecutor's need to down 17 cups of the stuff during a trial.

Athena couldn't help but wonder what he meant, but from the tone of regret in his voice, she decided not to press. She filled her plate with the sloppy breakfast and took a seat, nearly downing half of her coffee as soon as she took her first sip.

The two sat in silence, enjoying their admittedly backwoods breakfast when Maya slowly dragged herself into the kitchen, covering herself with a blank. Phoenix noted that she'd found the time to locate her shirt and put it back on.

"Morning, Maya." Athena said cheerfully, the coffee finally beginning to work its magic.

"Shhhh, coffee now. Talk later." Maya said, her eyes glazed over, making her look zombified.

 _Ten bucks says these two got drunk last night._ Athena thought to herself, putting another bite of food in her mouth as she watched Maya pour herself a cup of coffee. She then took a seat next to Athena, which Athena found odd.

Athena was about to ask how their evening had gone when Trucy and Pearl walked in.

"Morning Daddy." Trucy said, making a bee line for the coffee pot. Pearl looked at everyone at the table and began bouncing.

"Mr. Nick, Mystic Maya! Did you enjoy yourselves last night?"

Both of them looked away from the girl.

"Y-yeah, Pearly. Thanks a lot for everything."

 _Ok, something definitely happened last night._ Thought Athena, hearing regret from both of their hearts.

Pearl beamed at the two. "Don't thank us for everything. It was Mr. Polly's idea!"

At the mention of his name, Apollo appeared in the entry way. Everyone turned their head to look at him.

"Speak of the devil." Phoenix said, watching as his employee walked over to the coffee pot and pour himself a cup.

"Glad to hear things went good last night." Apollo said, smiling.

 _Tread lightly, Apollo,_ Athena thought. _Something tells me things didn't go as great as you planned._

Maya finally spoke up. "So uh, you guys have to leave today, don't you?" Athena could hear both sadness and relief in her heart.

"Y-yeah. The office has been closed for a week now. I'm sure we have a hundred messages to answer. But it's been a really great vacation." Athena again heard sadness and relief. _What happened between these two last night?_

Everyone ate their breakfast in silence. Once everyone had finished, Maya tapped Pearl on the shoulder.

"Pearly, I need you to help me with something. Let's go to my room."

Pearl put her plate in the sink and followed behind Maya.

Everyone soon followed suit and put their plates away before adjourning to their rooms to pack.

* * *

"Pearly, I need you to channel sis for me."

Pearl clapped her hands together. "Oh, are you going to tell her about you and Mr. Nick?"

 _Yeah, about how I've already ruined it._ "Y-yes, Pearly. That's exactly it. Can you do it?"

"Of course, Mystic Maya." Pearl then took a meditative stance on the bed. Maya held her breath as her younger cousin's body changed and grew into the figure of her deceased older sister. Mia slowly opened her eyes and look at Maya before smiling.

"Maya. It's been so long. How are you?"

Maya immediately threw her arms around her older sister, sobbing. "I messed up, sis. I messed up so bad."

Mia patted the girl on the back. "Calm down, Maya. Tell me what's wrong."

Maya pulled back and sat next to her sister, still sobbing. "You already met Apollo an Athena, right? And they asked you about us."

Mia nodded. "Yes. It sounded like Apollo was trying to get you two together."

Maya smiled to herself. "Well, it worked. Me and Nick are dating… For now."

Mia was torn between being happy and worried. "What do you mean 'for now'?"

Maya began to sob louder as she told her sister about the night before.

"I threw myself at him and he rejected me, sis. He doesn't find me attractive."

Mia thought about this for a moment. "Why would you say that, Maya?"

"How could he, sis!?" She snapped. "Look at me." She said, gesturing to her body. "Nick meets pretty girls all the time. Just look at Iris. Or Ms. Andrews or Ms. Von Karma or…" She paused for a moment. "You."

Mia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Maya, you need to stop comparing yourself to other women. Phoenix told you how he felt, right?"

Maya nodded. "I kinda had to drag it out of him, but yeah. He told me he loves me."

"Then I don't see the problem. He told you why he didn't want to go there last night. If anything, you should have even more respect for him for not taking advantage of you."

Maya looked at the floor. "But he wouldn't have been taking advantage of me. I wanted him. I STILL want him. I love him, sis."

Mia again closed her eyes. "Phoenix, you should come in here."

"Huh?" Maya said, confused. She then heard her door slide open and turned around to see her boyfriend.

"Nick!? Y-you were eavesdropping?" Maya said, almost managing to sound mad.

Phoenix stepped into the room slowly. "Yeah. When I heard the Chief's voice, I couldn't help myself. And now I'm kinda glad I stopped and listened."

Maya sniffled. "So you heard, huh? You know that I know you don't find me attractive."

Phoenix stepped closer to her and gently took her face in her hands, looking her dead in the eyes.

"Maya, you are, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman I have ever met."

Maya's tears continued to fall as he wiped them away.

"Your sister's right. You need to stop comparing yourself to other women. I don't care if you don't have Adrian's hair. Or Ms. Von Karma's eyes. Or your sister's body." He felt Mia shoot a glare at him. "In my eyes you are the most attractive woman I've ever met. And it blows me away that a woman as beautiful as you could want to be with a goofy looking idiot like me."

Maya shook her head. "Nick, don't ever call yourself goofy looking. You're the most handsome man I've ever met. I love every little thing about you."

Phoenix smiled. "Then stop acting like this. I love you, and that's what matters."

Maya smiled back and threw her arms around the man. He returned the embrace before she pulled away.

"But, if you think I'm so beautiful, why didn't you want me last night?"

Phoenix smiled softly and shook his head. "This again? I told you, I didn't want our first time to be some hazy memory. I want it to be special. I mean, it would be both of our first times, right?"

Maya looked at her boyfriend. "Wait, Nick, you've never…"

Phoenix shook his head. "I've only ever dated Iris. And believe or not, she was never too eager to hop into bed. Who woulda guessed, a shy girl like her, right?"

Maya giggled and hugged the man again. "I'm sorry, Nick. I was being stupid to think you didn't find me attractive. I mean, look at me." She said, gesturing towards her body.

Phoenix chuckled as did Mia, which reminded both him and Maya that she was still in the room. They turned to look at her as she spoke.

"Well, you two are definitely a good fit for each other. Maybe I shouldn't be so much worried about you taking care of each other as I should be worried about you taking care of yourselves."

Everyone had a laugh at that.

"It's great to see you again, Chief. It's been quite a while."

Mia nodded and smiled. "It has been, Phoenix. You shouldn't be afraid to contact me once in a while. I miss being able to speak to you all."

"Same here, Chief. But it's not so easy. What with Maya here being so busy being the Master, not having time to visit."

Maya jabbed him with her elbow. "Hey, aren't you the one who was apologizing for avoiding me before?"

Phoenix chuckled. "I was kidding, Maya. Believe me, I'll be around a lot more now."

Mia interrupted. "I would hope so, Phoenix. I'd sure hate to hear that you broke my sister's heart." She said with a devilish smile.

Phoenix laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. "Hehe, wouldn't dream of it, Chief."

The two girls had a laugh at his expense.

"So," Mia asked. "How are those two employees of yours, Phoenix?"

* * *

"C'mon, Apollo! Push!"

"I'm pushing as hard as I can!"

Athena and Apollo were struggling trying to work as a team to zip Athena's suitcase shut.

"Just. A little. MORE." Athena cried as she pulled the zipper with all her might. It finally zipped the last few inches needed, sending her sprawling backwards and onto the floor when she released her grip. Apollo rushed over to help his girlfriend off the ground.

"Please tell me that's the last bag." He said as he hoisted her off the ground.

"Thankfully, yes." She said as she took a seat on the bed. Suddenly, a knock came at the door.

"It's open." Apollo said.

The door slid open to reveal…

"Mia!" Athena cried and rushed over to the woman.

Mia accepted the girl's hug and smiled. "It's good to see you again too, Athena."

Apollo stood up and walked over to the two. "What are you doing here, Mia? Mr. Wright call you?"

Mia released Athena. "Maya, actually. Needed some sisterly advice. But, forgive me if I'm being rude, what happened to you? If I remember correctly, your arm was fine the other day."

"Oh, this?" He said, gestured to his left arm, still in the sling. "You can thank your sister for that. Signed us up for a wrestling tournament. I ended fighting a pro wrestler and got launched through the air."

Mia sighed and put her face in her hand. "I swear, that girl won't be satisfied until her antics get someone killed."

Athena chimed in. "And when that happens, we all know Mr. Wright will defend her."

They all three laughed.

"So, Maya tells me you two are together now."

"Yep!" Athena beamed. "I finally seduced him with my charms."

Mia held a hand out to Athena. "Way to go, girl!"

Athena smiled and high fived the woman.

Apollo looked on the girls, a grin plastered on his face. Mia then turned to Apollo.

"And with a Kurain lily, I hear. I hope you realize how big that is in this village. If you lived here, that would practically be the same as proposing to her."

"Oh yeah, Pearly told us abou- W-w-whaaaaaaat!?" Apollo exclaimed, completely blindsided.

"Awwwww, you proposed, Apollo!? I wish I'd known!" Athena cried.

"N-now hold on, Athena! I swear I didn't know it was THAT serious."

Athena then put on a pout. "Are you saying you wouldn't marry me?"

Apollo began to sweat as his horns drooped. "I-I didn't say that, either."

Athena clapped her hands together! "Yay! I should go tell Pearls and Trucy the good news!"

Apollo knew she was joking about getting married, but he also knew if she told Pearl and Trucy, it wouldn't be a joke anymore. "Ah, n-no! Not them!"

Mia looked on at the two, giggling like crazy.

* * *

The group all stood at the train station, Pearl having returned to her body a few hours before.

"I really wish you guys didn't have to go." Maya said, holding Phoenix's hand.

He smiled at the girl. "Hey, don't worry. I promise I'll be by to visit as much as possible from now on." He squeezed her hand tighter. "I've got eight years of being a coward to make up for."

Maya smiled and leaned forward to kiss the man. "And you owe me burgers the next time I come visit."

Suddenly, the sound of the train hit everyone's ears. Maya's face visibly drooped. Phoenix then had a brilliant idea.

"Maya, why don't you come with us? You could stay at the office with me for a week."

Maya jumped, shocked at his suggestion. "N-Nick, I can't do that! I have to watch over the village! The Elders would be all over me."

"Bah, Elders, Shmelders. YOU'RE in charge. Not them."

Maya put her hand to her mouth, considering Phoenix's offer when Pearl walked up next to her.

"You should go, Mystic Maya! I'll tell the Elders what's going on so they can run things here while you're gone!"

"P-Pearly…"

"C'mon, Maya!" Athena shouted. "It would be nice have another girl around the office besides Trucy and me!"

"Athena…"

"You and Mr. Wright have a lot of catching up to do." Apollo started. "Surely your Elders can handle things for one more week."

"Apollo…"

"Please, Maya!?" Trucy begged. "I've only been around you for Christmas the past few years. I need to get to know my new Mommy!"

"Trucy…"

Maya thought hard before she spoke again. "Okay! I'm in!" Everyone cheered as Maya quickly ran to the ticket counter to purchase her ticket while the group held the train for her. She then bounded to the train as the conductor had just about had enough.

"I can't believe I'm doing this!" Maya cried as the train took off.

Phoenix grabbed hold of her hand. "Me either. But I'm glad you're coming."

Maya smiled at the man she'd love for ten long years. "I love you, Nick."

Phoenix returned the smile and leaned forward to kiss her. "I love you too, Maya."

Their lips finally met and everything was perfect.

 **End**


End file.
